Department for Transport

Railways: Disability

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when her Department plans to publish its National Rail Accessibility strategy.

Mr Mark Harper: The National Rail Accessibility strategy is being developed and will be published in due course.

TransPennine Express

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the rail contract between the Department for Transport and First Trans Pennine Express Limited, how many train drivers were required to be recruited to deliver the planned passenger services in that contract; and how many of those drivers have been recruited to date.

Mr Mark Harper: TransPennine Express required 48 additional drivers in support of the TransPennine Route Upgrade and 14 in support of the Manchester Recovery Task Force. These have all been recruited.

TransPennine Express

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the rail contract between the Secretary of State and First Trans Pennine Express Limited, how many train drivers were estimated to be recruited to ensure delivery of planned passenger services; and how many drivers have been recruited by that company from the commencement of that contract to date.

Mr Mark Harper: TransPennine Express has recruited 114 drivers since May 2021 (a combination of trainee and qualified drivers) which is in support of additional requirements (such as the Manchester Recovery Task Force and the TransPennine Route Upgrade diversionary route) and to manage expected attrition and turnover. This is in line with forecasted requirements.

TransPennine Express

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the rail contract between the Secretary of State and First Trans Pennine Express Limited, how many drivers have (a) been recruited by and (b) left the employment of that company in 2022.

Mr Mark Harper: TransPennine Express has recruited 103 Drivers in 2022. It will lose 50 drivers between January and December 2022, and forecasts an additional 13 will leave on top of this.

Avanti West Coast

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many train drivers have been (a) recruited and (b) left the West Coast Partnership in each year since the start of the West Coast Partnership Emergency Recovery Measures agreement.

Mr Mark Harper: The recruitment and training of drivers was significantly restricted during the pandemic. Figures for relevant years are as follows: YearDrivers recruitedDrivers leftDec 2019 – Dec 20202721Dec 2020 – Dec 20212526Dec 2021 to Dec 2022 (incl. forecasted)7046

Roads: Safety

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department plans to take to improve road safety near schools.

Mr Mark Harper: On 29 January 2022, we updated The Highway Code to improve road safety for cyclists and pedestrians by strengthening pedestrian priority on pavements and at crossings and introducing the Hierarchy of Road Users, which places those road users most at risk in the event of a collision, including children, at the top of the hierarchy. The Highway Code makes it clear that those in charge of vehicles that can cause the greatest harm in the event of a collision bear the greatest responsibility to reduce the danger they pose to others and highlights the need to take care and be particularly aware of young cyclists and pedestrians near schools.Local authorities have a range of traffic management measures available to them to help improve safety outside schools. These include 20mph speed limits, traffic calming, and introduction of a School Street where appropriate. Local authorities have the power to set speed limits on their roads. Authorities are also enabled to place advisory part-time 20mph speed limits signs in the vicinity of schools without the need for Government approval. It is for local authorities to determine what measures are appropriate in individual cases. They have the local knowledge making them the best placed to do so.The Gear Change plan for walking and cycling (2020) included a number of steps which will support and increase safety of active travel to school, including increasing the number of School Streets (a timed restriction of motorised traffic at the start and end of the school day). The Department for Transport plans to publish School Streets guidance for local authorities in due course.

Doncaster Sheffield Airport: Closures

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what meetings Ministers in her Department have held with Rt hon. and hon. Members to discuss the potential closure of Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

Mr Mark Harper: The Government is very disappointed that Peel Group has taken the decision to announce the closure of Doncaster Sheffield Airport.The Government has engaged with local stakeholders throughout the period of the review and since Peel Group announced its decision to close the airport. This has included several ministerial meetings since the end of July, including with the Mayor of South Yorkshire and Mayor of Doncaster City Council, and with members from both Houses of Parliament.Officials from the Department for Transport have also been in regular contact with all interested parties, including weekly discussions with representatives from Peel Group, the South Yorkshire Combined Authority and Doncaster City Council.The Government remains engaged with all parties and we are committed to encouraging local leaders and Peel Group to work together and find a solution for the site which will benefit local people and the region’s economy.

Avanti West Coast

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the effect of reductions in Avanti West Coast services on the economies of Lancaster and Fleetwood.

Mr Mark Harper: The Department recognises the importance of a high performing railway in contributing to growth and local economies. While Avanti West Coast has temporarily reduced services on some routes due to a shortage of drivers, the service pattern for Lancaster is unchanged. Ahead of December’s significant increase to the timetable on other routes, Avanti West Coast continues to train more drivers with nearly 100 entering service this year. This will improve resilience for services between Lancaster and London.

Speed Limits

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will require local highway authorities to conduct an annual review the effect of the introduction of 20 mile per hour speed limit zones on (a) road accidents and (b) traffic flows in those areas.

Mr Mark Harper: The Department for Transport does not have any plans to impose any new requirements on local traffic authorities. They are responsible for taking the decisions in respect to the speed limits on their roads, because they have the local knowledge making them the best placed to do so.The Department for Transport issues non-mandatory guidance to English local authorities on setting speed limits, to assist their decision making. The guidance suggests that they keep their speed limits under review with changing circumstances.

Speed Limits

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the impact of 20mph speed limits on the number of road accidents occurring in those areas since the introduction of that speed limit; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Mark Harper: The Department published a comprehensive three-year evaluation of the effect of 20mph signed-only limits on 22 November 2018.The research substantially strengthens the evidence base on perceptions, speeds and early outcomes associated with 20mph speed limits, and is the only major UK study to consider multiple case study areas and provide a national view.The headline findings were:20mph limits are supported by the majority of residents and driversThere has been a small reduction in median speed (less than 1mph).Vehicles travelling at higher speeds before the introduction of the 20mph limit have reduced their speed more than those already travelling at lower speeds.There is insufficient evidence to conclude that that there has been a significant change in collisions and casualties following the introduction of 20mph limits in residential areas.In one city centre case study there has been a significant reduction in collisions and casualties.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Business: Debts

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of trends in the regional spread of business debt in (a) each of the last five years, (b) during the covid-19 outbreak and (c) during the cost of living crisis.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Department monitors regional trends in business lending through the British Business Bank (BBB), the SME Finance Monitor survey, and the trade associations UK Finance and Responsible Finance. The BBB’s three regional funds support access to debt and equity finance in Cornwall, the Northern Powerhouse and Midlands Engine, including Coventry. The regional spread of business debt broadly reflects national demand for business lending and the regional distribution of the business population. Differences within regions are more significant, with Community Development Finance Institutions playing a valuable role in enabling access to debt finance for businesses in under-served areas. According to the SME Finance Monitor, the proportion of all SMEs using external finance was 38% in Q2 2022, down from the 45% using finance in Q2 2021 and in line with pre-pandemic levels. Use of debt finance is higher for SMEs trading internationally and those with plans to grow. The majority (86%) of SMEs are in the category of ‘happy non-seekers’ of finance, meaning that they have either no debt or a level of borrowing that they consider sufficient for their needs.

Companies: Registration

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many companies have been struck off the Companies House register for instances of fraud identified by Companies House.

Kevin Hollinrake: Companies House does not hold the figures for how many companies were struck off the register where fraudulent activity has been identified. The Registrar of Companies can commence action to strike a company off the register where she has reason to believe a company is no longer in business or in operation. The Registrar may also strike a company’s name off the register on application by the company. Table A9 of the Companies register activities: statistical release 2021 to 2022 shows the total volumes of all companies struck off and dissolved, which includes following the compulsory strike off process and following an application by a company. Companies register activities: statistical release 2021 to 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Housing: Energy

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to improve measurement and reporting of (a) home energy efficiency ratings by EPC bands and (b) the number of existing homes moving between EPC bands.

Graham Stuart: In line with the Government’s agenda to make data easily accessible, Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) data is available on the DLUHC Open Data Communities website to allow people to carry out their own analyses. However, DLUHC does not track movement between EPC Bands.The Government updated the methodology used for EPC calculations in new homes to improve its accuracy in June 2022 and is working on an update to the methodology used in existing homes.

Housing: Energy

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of setting targets for the number of existing homes improved to EPC band C or above.

Graham Stuart: Chris Skidmore MP is currently conducting an independent review of the Government’s approach to meeting its net zero 2050 target, including the Government's approach to improving the energy performance of homes. This is to ensure the Government delivers its legal commitment to reach net zero by 2050 in a way that is pro-business and pro-growth. The Government remains committed to improving the energy performance of homes and reducing Fuel Poverty. The Government is investing £12 billion in Help to Heat schemes to make sure homes are warmer and cheaper to heat.

Housing: Energy

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many households have moved from below EPC band C to EPC band C or above, in each of the last five years.

Graham Stuart: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave the Hon. Member for Kilmarnock and Loudoun on 28th September 2022 to Question 51773.

Environmental Land Management Schemes: Carbon Emissions

Anna McMorrin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what level of carbon savings the Government expects through the (a) sustainable farming incentive, (b) local nature recovery scheme and (c) landscape recovery scheme; and what percentage of the total carbon savings during the (i) 4th, (ii) 5th and (iii) 6th carbon budget periods the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is responsible for.

Graham Stuart: The Government anticipates its environmental land management schemes, the Farming Innovation Fund and other farming offers will reduce agricultural emissions by up to 6 MtCO2e per year in Carbon Budget 6 in England. The Government will also pursue opportunities through tree planting and peat restoration. The Net Zero Strategy sets out cross-economy action to keep the UK on track for meeting carbon budgets and includes a range for emissions savings for Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Uses, Waste and Fluorinated Gases. These are indicative pathways: allowing the UK to respond flexibly to changes that arise over time, including technology and innovation developments.

Hydrogen: Production

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent progress his Department has made in developing the UK’s production capacity of low carbon hydrogen production.

Graham Stuart: The Government is supporting multiple hydrogen production technologies, including both electrolytic and carbon capture (CCUS)-enabled hydrogen production, by providing capital support through the £240m Net Zero Hydrogen Fund and revenue support through the Hydrogen Business Model.The first window for joint support under these policies for electrolytic hydrogen production closed on 12 October and the Government has committed to run further annual allocation rounds.CCUS-enabled hydrogen projects have been invited to bid through the Phase-2 Cluster Sequencing process.This will help deliver the Government’s aim to have up to 2GW of hydrogen production capacity operational or in construction by 2025.

Hydrogen: Production

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of hydrogen in the UK is generated by electrolysis.

Graham Stuart: The low carbon hydrogen economy in the UK is nascent, with electrolysis making up a very small share of current hydrogen production. The Government has set an ambition for there to be up to 10 GW of hydrogen production capacity in the UK by 2030, with at least half this being electrolytic hydrogen. The Government aims to run annual joint allocation rounds of the Net Zero Hydrogen Fund and Hydrogen Business Model to support its aim of having up to 1 GW of electrolytic hydrogen production operational or in construction by 2025.

Buildings: Hydrogen

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to increase the use of hydrogen in buildings.

Graham Stuart: Unlike other technologies (such as electric heating) 100% hydrogen for heating is not yet an established technology. Further work is required to understand the feasibility, costs and convenience of transporting 100% hydrogen in the gas grid and using hydrogen for heating and cooking. The knowledge and experience gained in delivering trials in communities, together with the results of wider R&D and testing programme, will enable the Government to take strategic decisions in 2026 on the role of hydrogen in decarbonising heat.

Heat Pumps

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to The ten point plan for a green industrial revolution, how many heat pumps have been installed in buildings as set out in Point 7 of that plan as of 25 October 2022.

Graham Stuart: According to the most recent industry data the UK heat pump market grew nearly 50 per cent last year, with an estimated 55,000 heat pumps sold in 2021.

Hydrogen

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent progress his Department has made on finalising the UK’s hydrogen business model.

Graham Stuart: The Government aims to finalise the hydrogen business model by the end of 2022. The window for applications to the first electrolytic hydrogen allocation round, offering joint Hydrogen Business Model and Net Zero Hydrogen Fund support, closed on 12 October. The Government is expected to announce the project shortlist in early 2023 and aims to allocate the first support contracts for projects reaching final investment decisions from mid-2023.

Natural Gas: Prices

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of rising electricity costs on the price of gas.

Graham Stuart: The Government works closely with Ofgem, National Grid and other key industry organisations to monitor electricity and gas supply and the impacts on UK energy prices. As an internationally traded commodity, natural gas prices are primarily driven by the underlying price in the global market. Many of the factors affecting the spikes seen recently in wholesale gas prices are attributable to international activity extending beyond the UK's domestic energy market.

Energy Bills Rebate: Debts

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether energy suppliers are permitted to take funds paid through the Energy Bills Support Scheme to settle domestic energy debts in cases where there is a payment plan in place through the benefits system.

Graham Stuart: The objective of the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) is to help people with the cost of their energy bills over this winter. Where credit is applied to an account, it will contribute to arrears and any agreed debt repayment plan. As set out in its consultation response, the Government expects and encourages suppliers to make it their priority to work actively to move customers with large arrears balances onto repayment plans wherever possible. There are comprehensive rules in place to protect energy customers at risk of being in debt.

Employment: West Midlands

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an estimate of the number of jobs that are linked to insulating properties in the West Midlands.

Graham Stuart: The transition to high-efficiency low-carbon buildings could support 240,000 skilled jobs by 2035, concentrated on areas of the UK where investment is needed most. The Government does not have an estimate for the number of jobs that are linked to insulating properties specifically in the West Midlands.

Energy Bills Rebate

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the answer of 24 October to question 59611 on Energy Bills Rebate, if he will take steps to ensure that households which have different energy meters for their home and garage or other building attached to the original dwelling do not receive two or more Energy Bill Support Scheme payments.

Graham Stuart: I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave to him on 24 October to Question 59611.

Cabinet Office

Ministers: Redundancy Pay

Chris Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many ministers have been entitled to severance pay under the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991 from 1 July to 25 October.

Chris Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much (a) has been and (b) will be paid under the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991 to ministers who left Government from 1 July to 25 October.

Jeremy Quin: ​​Under the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991, eligible Ministers who leave office are entitled to severance pay of a quarter of their annual salary. This applies only where a Minister is under 65 and is not appointed to a ministerial office within three weeks of leaving government.Individual departments are responsible for the payment of salaries and severance payments to current and former Ministers and, as such, the information requested by the Hon. gentleman is not held centrally. Departments are required to publish compensation payments paid to former Ministers as part of their Annual Report & Accounts.

Department of Health and Social Care

General Practitioners: Luton South

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of GP surgeries were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Luton South constituency as of 20 October 2022.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Luton South

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) financial and (b) other steps her Department is taking to help tackle NHS workforce shortages in Luton South constituency.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health and Social Care: Location

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what payments were made to civil servants in her Department for relocation costs to government offices outside London in 2021.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Members: Correspondence

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she will respond to the correspondence of 17 January 2022 from the hon. Member for Angus on Guillain-Barré Syndrome, case reference DD5474.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Vaccination: Ethnic Groups

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans she has to improve the uptake of vaccinations in (a) Black African and (b) Black Caribbean adults.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Midwives: Slough

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of midwives in Slough constituency.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health Services: Slough

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of mental health specialists in Slough constituency.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

General Practitioners: Slough

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of GPs in Slough constituency.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Life Expectancy: Slough

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of recent trends in the level of life expectancy in Slough constituency.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Perinatal Mortality: Slough

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of recent trends in rates of perinatal mortality in Slough constituency.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Health Services: Standards

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to assess best practice demonstrated by health and wellbeing boards; and whether she is taking steps to share that best practice throughout the health service.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Health: Disadvantaged

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she will take to ensure that the Public Health Grant enables Directors of Public Health to address the health disparities in their locations.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus and Influenza: Vaccination

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she will take to (a) increase uptake of vaccination and (b) raise greater awareness of the risks of being unvaccinated in areas where there has been a low level of uptake for the (i) covid-19 and (ii) flu vaccine.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

HIV Infection: Lancaster and Fleetwood

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2022 to Question 64163 on HIV Infection: Lancaster and Fleetwood, in what format the data is held on (a) geographical location or (b) region showing where people were diagnosed with HIV for each of the last five years.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Malnutrition: Lancaster and Fleetwood

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to Answer of 25 October 2022 to Question 64166 on Malnutrition: Lancaster and Fleetwood, for what reason no specific assessment has been made of trends in the level of malnutrition in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

General Practitioners: Attendance

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the number of missed GP appointments in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England in each of the last five years.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Parkinson's Disease: Health Services

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the impact of regional differences in access to multidisciplinary support on Parkinson's care.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Parkinson's Disease: Health Services

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to implement an NHS workforce plan to support Parkinson's care.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

General Practitioners: Walsall South

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of FTE fully qualified GPs, excluding GPs in Training Grade, practicing in Walsall South constituency; and what the number was in 2013.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Life Expectancy: Walsall South

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in the level of healthy life expectancy in Walsall South.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Life Expectancy: Garston and Halewood

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in the level of healthy life expectancy in Garston and Halewood constituency.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Pregnancy Tests

Ed Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent reassessment she has made of the implications for her policy of the recommendations in the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review for victims of hormone pregnancy tests.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Pregnancy Tests

Ed Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made the potential merits of providing redress for victims of Hormone Pregnancy Tests.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Pregnancy Tests

Ed Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she will reassess the findings of the Expert Working Group review on Hormone Pregnancy Tests.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hospitals: Disease Control

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether proposed new NHS guidelines and standards for ultraviolet air cleaners will test and validate their use of UVC technology using BS ISO 15714:2019.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hospitals: Disease Control

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Cabinet Office on the proposed new NHS guidelines and standards for ultraviolet air cleaners.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Leukaemia

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure that recent data on the rates of emergency diagnosis of leukaemia are published.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Leukaemia: Screening

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure that all patients who present to the GP with symptoms of leukaemia get a blood test within 48 hours, in accordance with the NICE NG12 guidelines.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Malnutrition: Garston and Halewood

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of malnutrition in Garston and Halewood constituency.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Health: Garston and Halewood

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps her Department has taken to help tackle health inequality in Garston and Halewood constituency.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Health: City of Durham

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps her Department has taken to help tackle health inequality in City of Durham constituency.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Carers: Employment

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the need for a National Carers Strategy, to support unpaid carers to stay in paid work and have access to adequate breaks and support services, whilst continuing with their caring role.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health and Social Care: Written Questions

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she will answer Question 61785 from the hon. Member for Hammersmith constituency as previously requested.

Will Quince: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 18 October to Question 61785.

Dental Services: Birmingham Selly Oak

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the NHS dentist provision in Birmingham, Selly Oak constituency..

Will Quince: No specific assessment has been made. However, NHS England asked dental practices to return to full delivery of contracted activity from July 2022, including in Birmingham, Selly Oak. In September, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlines how we will meet oral health needs and increase access to dental care, including in Birmingham, Selly Oak.The plan includes improvements to ensure dentists are renumerated fairly for more complex work, allowing greater flexibility to reallocate resources and to utilise dentists with greater capacity to deliver National Health Service treatment, whilst enabling full use of the dental team. The plan also includes streamlining processes for overseas dentists and holding the local NHS to account for dentistry provision. In addition, Health Education England is also reforming dental education to improve the recruitment and retention of dental professionals.

General Practitioners: Bolton South East

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if her Department will take steps to increase the availability of face-to-face GP appointments in Bolton South East constituency..

Will Quince: On 22 September 2022, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which contains measures to assist people make an informed choice on their general practitioner (GP) practice, book an appointment more easily, benefit from more care options and increase the diversity of general practice teams. This aims to increase the availability of appointment types, such as face-to-face, in England, including in Bolton South East. NHS England’s guidance states that GP practices must provide face to face appointments and remote consultations and should respect preferences for face-to-face care unless there are good clinical reasons to the contrary.  While remote consultations can provide additional choice, flexibility and convenience for patients, this is not suitable for all patients or in all circumstances.

General Practitioners: Exeter

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of GPs in Exeter constituency.

Will Quince: We are working with NHS England, Health Education England and the profession to increase the general practice workforce in England, including in Exeter. This includes measures to improve recruitment, address the reasons why doctors leave the profession and encourage them to return to practice.The updated GP Contract Framework announced a number of new schemes, alongside continued support for existing recruitment and retention schemes for the general practice workforce. This includes the GP Retention Scheme, the GP Retention Fund, the National GP Induction and Refresher, the Locum Support Scheme, the New to Partnership Payment and the Supporting Mentors Scheme.

General Practitioners: Stretford and Urmston

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of GPs in Stretford and Urmston constituency.

Will Quince: We are working with NHS England, Health Education England and the profession to increase the general practice workforce in England, including in Stretford and Urmston. This includes measures to improve recruitment, address the reasons why doctors leave the profession and encourage them to return to practice.The updated GP Contract Framework announced a number of new schemes, alongside continued support for existing recruitment and retention schemes for the general practice workforce. This includes the GP Retention Scheme, the GP Retention Fund, the National GP Induction and Refresher, the Locum Support Scheme, the New to Partnership Payment and the Supporting Mentors Scheme.

Diabetes: Wirral South

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were diagnosed with diabetes in Wirral South constituency in each of the last five years.

Will Quince: The following table shows the number of people that were diagnosed with diabetes in Wirral South constituency in each of the calendar years from 2016 to 2020, broken down by diabetes type.Year of diagnosisNumber of people diagnosed with diabetesType 1Type 2 and Other20161024520171021020181017520195230202010190 Source: National Diabetes AuditNotes:A person may have more than 1 diabetes diagnosis within the National Diabetes Audit. In this case, an algorithm is used to derive the best diagnosis date and diabetes type for each person. This is used in the analysis above.Disclosure control has been applied to all figures, as per the National Diabetes Audit publication – all numbers are rounded to the nearest 5, unless the number is 1 to 7, in which case it is rounded to ‘5’.Diabetes type is reported as ‘Type 1’ and ‘Type 2 and other’ within the National Diabetes Audit.‘Type 1’ includes where a person is recorded as having Type 1 diabetes in the National Diabetes Audit.‘Type 2 and other’ includes where a person is recorded as having Type 2 diabetes, Maturity-onset Diabetes of the Young, other or non-specified diabetes in the National Diabetes Audit.

General Practitioners: Wirral South

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if her Department will take steps to increase the availability of face-to-face GP appointments in Walsall South constituency.

Will Quince: On 22 September 2022, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which contains measures to assist people make an informed choice on their general practitioner (GP) practice, book an appointment more easily, benefit from more care options and increase the diversity of general practice teams. This aims to increase the availability of appointment types, such as face-to-face, in England, including in Walsall South. NHS England’s guidance states that GP practices must provide face to face appointments and remote consultations and should respect preferences for face-to-face care unless there are good clinical reasons to the contrary.  While remote consultations can provide additional choice, flexibility and convenience for patients, this is not suitable for all patients or in all circumstances.

General Practitioners: Worsley and Eccles South

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if her Department will take steps to increase the availability of face-to-face GP appointments in Worsley and Eccles South constituency.

Will Quince: On 22 September 2022, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which contains measures to assist people make an informed choice on their general practitioner (GP) practice, book an appointment more easily, benefit from more care options and increase the diversity of general practice teams. This aims to increase the availability of appointment types, such as face-to-face, in England, including in Worsley and Eccles South. NHS England’s guidance states that GP practices must provide face to face appointments and remote consultations and should respect preferences for face-to-face care unless there are good clinical reasons to the contrary.  While remote consultations can provide additional choice, flexibility and convenience for patients, this is not suitable for all patients or in all circumstances.

General Practitioners: Putney

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if her Department will take steps to increase the availability of face-to-face GP appointments in Putney constituency.

Will Quince: On 22 September 2022, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which contains measures to assist people make an informed choice on their general practitioner (GP) practice, book an appointment more easily, benefit from more care options and increase the diversity of general practice teams. This aims to increase the availability of appointment types, such as face-to-face, in England, including in Putney NHS England’s guidance states that GP practices must provide face to face appointments and remote consultations and should respect preferences for face-to-face care unless there are good clinical reasons to the contrary.  While remote consultations can provide additional choice, flexibility and convenience for patients, this is not suitable for all patients or in all circumstances.

General Practitioners: Nottingham South

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if her Department will take steps to increase the availability of face-to-face GP appointments in Nottingham South constituency.

Will Quince: On 22 September 2022, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which contains measures to assist people make an informed choice on their general practitioner (GP) practice, book an appointment more easily, benefit from more care options and increase the diversity of general practice teams. This aims to increase the availability of appointment types, such as face-to-face, in England, including in Nottingham South. NHS England’s guidance states that GP practices must provide face to face appointments and remote consultations and should respect preferences for face-to-face care unless there are good clinical reasons to the contrary.  While remote consultations can provide additional choice, flexibility and convenience for patients, this is not suitable for all patients or in all circumstances.

Diabetes: Worsley and Eccles South

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were diagnosed with diabetes in Worsley and Eccles South constituency in each of the last five years.

Will Quince: The following table shows the number of people that were diagnosed with diabetes in Worsley and Eccles South constituency in each of the calendar years from 2016 to 2020, broken down by diabetes type.Year of diagnosisNumber of people diagnosed with diabetesType 1Type 2 and Other201620540201715320201815460201920445202015345 Source: National Diabetes AuditNotes:A person may have more than 1 diabetes diagnosis within the National Diabetes Audit. In this case, an algorithm is used to derive the best diagnosis date and diabetes type for each person. This is used in the analysis above.Disclosure control has been applied to all figures, as per the National Diabetes Audit publication – all numbers are rounded to the nearest 5, unless the number is 1 to 7, in which case it is rounded to ‘5’.Diabetes type is reported as ‘Type 1’ and ‘Type 2 and other’ within the National Diabetes Audit.‘Type 1’ includes where a person is recorded as having Type 1 diabetes in the National Diabetes Audit.‘Type 2 and other’ includes where a person is recorded as having Type 2 diabetes, Maturity-onset Diabetes of the Young, other or non-specified diabetes in the National Diabetes Audit.

Diabetes: Warrington North

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were diagnosed with diabetes in Warrington North constituency in each of the last five years.

Will Quince: The table below shows the number of people that were diagnosed with diabetes in Warrington North constituency in each of the calendar years from 2016 to 2020, broken down by diabetes type. Year of diagnosisNumber of people diagnosed with diabetesType 1Type 2 and Other201625440201720310201810405201925320202015355 Source: National Diabetes AuditNotes:A person may have more than 1 diabetes diagnosis within the National Diabetes Audit. In this case, an algorithm is used to derive the best diagnosis date and diabetes type for each person. This is used in the analysis above.Disclosure control has been applied to all figures, as per the National Diabetes Audit publication – all numbers are rounded to the nearest 5, unless the number is 1 to 7, in which case it is rounded to ‘5’.Diabetes type is reported as ‘Type 1’ and ‘Type 2 and other’ within the National Diabetes Audit.‘Type 1’ includes where a person is recorded as having Type 1 diabetes in the National Diabetes Audit.‘Type 2 and other’ includes where a person is recorded as having Type 2 diabetes, Maturity-onset Diabetes of the Young, other or non-specified diabetes in the National Diabetes Audit.

Diabetes: Washington and Sunderland West

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were diagnosed with diabetes in Washington and Sunderland West constituency in each of the last five years.

Will Quince: The following table shows the number of people that were diagnosed with diabetes in Washington and Sunderland West constituency in each of the calendar years from 2016 to 2020, broken down by diabetes type. Year of diagnosisNumber of people diagnosed with diabetesType 1Type 2 and Other201610305201715340201815370201910390202015325 Source: National Diabetes AuditNotes:A person may have more than 1 diabetes diagnosis within the National Diabetes Audit. In this case, an algorithm is used to derive the best diagnosis date and diabetes type for each person. This is used in the analysis above.Disclosure control has been applied to all figures, as per the National Diabetes Audit publication – all numbers are rounded to the nearest 5, unless the number is 1 to 7, in which case it is rounded to ‘5’.Diabetes type is reported as ‘Type 1’ and ‘Type 2 and other’ within the National Diabetes Audit.‘Type 1’ includes where a person is recorded as having Type 1 diabetes in the National Diabetes Audit.‘Type 2 and other’ includes where a person is recorded as having Type 2 diabetes, Maturity-onset Diabetes of the Young, other or non-specified diabetes in the National Diabetes Audit.

Diabetes: Exeter

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were diagnosed with diabetes in Exeter constituency in each of the last five years.

Will Quince: The following table shows the number of people that were diagnosed with diabetes in Exeter constituency in each of the calendar years from 2016 to 2020, broken down by diabetes type.  Year of diagnosisNumber of people diagnosed with diabetesType 1Type 2 and Other201615235201715260201815280201915390202020415 Source: National Diabetes AuditNotes:A person may have more than 1 diabetes diagnosis within the National Diabetes Audit. In this case, an algorithm is used to derive the best diagnosis date and diabetes type for each person. This is used in the analysis above.Disclosure control has been applied to all figures, as per the National Diabetes Audit publication – all numbers are rounded to the nearest 5, unless the number is 1 to 7, in which case it is rounded to ‘5’.Diabetes type is reported as ‘Type 1’ and ‘Type 2 and other’ within the National Diabetes Audit.‘Type 1’ includes where a person is recorded as having Type 1 diabetes in the National Diabetes Audit.‘Type 2 and other’ includes where a person is recorded as having Type 2 diabetes, Maturity-onset Diabetes of the Young, other or non-specified diabetes in the National Diabetes Audit.

Department of Health and Social Care: EU Law

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many officials in her Department are working on Retained EU Law legislation, as (a) headcount and (b) Full Time Equivalent.

Will Quince: The Department has a central coordinating team working on the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill, which currently has two full time officials and support from an additional three officials alongside their other business activities. This is equates to approximately three full time equivalent officials. The central team is supported by advice from Departmental officials where there are Retained EU Law implications. These officials provide support as part of their normal business activities and do not have specific headcount or full time equivalent staff allocated to this work.

Members: Correspondence

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she plans to respond to the letters of (a) 13 May, (b) 7 September, (c) 29 September and (d) 17 October from the hon. Member for St Albans.

Will Quince: We replied to the hon. Member on 16 August 2022.

Evusheld

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will review her department’s decision not to permit the use of Evusheld for patient groups vulnerable to covid-19 this winter.

Will Quince: The Government has decided not to procure Evusheld for prevention through emergency routes at this time. This is a decision based on independent clinical advice by multi-agency RAPID C-19 and a United Kingdom national expert policy working group which considered the epidemiological context and pandemic response and recovery policies. However, we have referred Evusheld to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for evaluation.

Surgery: Garston and Halewood

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce waiting times for elective surgeries in Garston and Halewood.

Will Quince: The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’ sets out how the National Health Service will recover and expand elective services over the next three years, including in Garston and Halewood. We have allocated more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25, in addition to the £2 billion Elective Recovery Fund and £700 million Targeted Investment Fund already made available in 2021/2022 to increase elective activity. This funding aims to deliver the equivalent of approximately nine million additional checks and procedures and 30% further elective activity by 2024/25 than pre-pandemic levels. A proportion of this funding will be invested in workforce capacity and training and we have committed to invest £5.9 billion for new beds, equipment and technology.The target to eliminate waiting times of two years or more for elective procedures was met in July 2022 and we aim to eliminate waiting time of eighteen months or more by April 2023. This will be achieved through increasing capacity, seeking alternate capacity in other trusts or the independent sector and engaging with patients to understand choices made regarding their care.

Surgery: Liverpool Wavertree

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her department is taking to help reduce waiting times for elective surgeries in Liverpool Wavertree constituency.

Will Quince: The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’ sets out how the National Health Service will recover and expand elective services over the next three years, including in Liverpool Wavertree. We have allocated more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25, in addition to the £2 billion Elective Recovery Fund and £700 million Targeted Investment Fund already made available in 2021/2022 to increase elective activity. This funding aims to deliver the equivalent of approximately nine million additional checks and procedures and 30% further elective activity by 2024/25 than pre-pandemic levels. A proportion of this funding will be invested in workforce capacity and training and we have committed to invest £5.9 billion for new beds, equipment and technology.The target to eliminate waiting times of two years or more for elective procedures was met in July 2022 and we aim to eliminate waiting time of eighteen months or more by April 2023. This will be achieved through increasing capacity, seeking alternate capacity in other trusts or the independent sector and engaging with patients to understand choices made regarding their care.

Midwives: Garston and Halewood

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of midwives in Garston and Halewood constituency.

Will Quince: NHS England retains oversight of local workforce plans and is updated on vacancy rates. However, recruitment and retention is undertaken at trust level.In 2022, an additional £127 million has been invested in the National Health Service maternity workforce and improving neonatal care, including in Garston and Halewood. This is in addition to the £95 million invested in 2021 to fund a further 1,200 midwives and 100 consultant obstetricians. The NHS People Plan focuses on improving the retention of NHS staff by prioritising staff health and wellbeing. In 2022/23, £45 million has been allocated to support the continuation of 40 mental health hubs, the Professional Nurse Advocates programme and expanding the NHS Practitioner Health service.

Midwives: Worsley and Eccles South

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of midwives in Worsley and Eccles South constituency.

Will Quince: NHS England retains oversight of local workforce plans and is updated on vacancy rates. However, recruitment and retention is undertaken at trust level.In 2022, an additional £127 million has been invested in the National Health Service maternity workforce and improving neonatal care, including in Worsley and Eccles South. This is in addition to the £95 million invested in 2021 to fund a further 1,200 midwives and 100 consultant obstetricians. The NHS People Plan focuses on improving the retention of NHS staff by prioritising staff health and wellbeing. In 2022/23, £45 million has been allocated to support the continuation of 40 mental health hubs, the Professional Nurse Advocates programme and expanding the NHS Practitioner Health service.

Midwives: Streatham

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of midwives in Streatham constituency.

Will Quince: NHS England retains oversight of local workforce plans and is updated on vacancy rates. However, recruitment and retention is undertaken at trust level.In 2022, an additional £127 million has been invested in the National Health Service maternity workforce and improving neonatal care, including in Streatham. This is in addition to the £95 million invested in 2021 to fund a further 1,200 midwives and 100 consultant obstetricians. The NHS People Plan focuses on improving the retention of NHS staff by prioritising staff health and wellbeing. In 2022/23, £45 million has been allocated to support the continuation of 40 mental health hubs, the Professional Nurse Advocates programme and expanding the NHS Practitioner Health service.

Midwives: Wirral South

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of midwives in Wirral South constituency.

Will Quince: NHS England retains oversight of local workforce plans and is updated on vacancy rates. However, recruitment and retention is undertaken at trust level.In 2022, an additional £127 million has been invested in the National Health Service maternity workforce and improving neonatal care, including in Wirral South. This is in addition to the £95 million invested in 2021 to fund a further 1,200 midwives and 100 consultant obstetricians. The NHS People Plan focuses on improving the retention of NHS staff by prioritising staff health and wellbeing. In 2022/23, £45 million has been allocated to support the continuation of 40 mental health hubs, the Professional Nurse Advocates programme and expanding the NHS Practitioner Health service.

Midwives: Leeds North West

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of midwives in Leeds North West constituency.

Will Quince: NHS England retains oversight of local workforce plans and is updated on vacancy rates. However, recruitment and retention is undertaken at trust level.In 2022, an additional £127 million has been invested in the National Health Service maternity workforce and improving neonatal care, including in Leeds North West. This is in addition to the £95 million invested in 2021 to fund a further 1,200 midwives and 100 consultant obstetricians. The NHS People Plan focuses on improving the retention of NHS staff by prioritising staff health and wellbeing. In 2022/23, £45 million has been allocated to support the continuation of 40 mental health hubs, the Professional Nurse Advocates programme and expanding the NHS Practitioner Health service.

Midwives: Exeter

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of midwives in Exeter constituency.

Will Quince: NHS England retains oversight of local workforce plans and is updated on vacancy rates. However, recruitment and retention is undertaken at trust level.In 2022, an additional £127 million has been invested in the National Health Service maternity workforce and improving neonatal care, including in Exeter. This is in addition to the £95 million invested in 2021 to fund a further 1,200 midwives and 100 consultant obstetricians. The NHS People Plan focuses on improving the retention of NHS staff by prioritising staff health and wellbeing. In 2022/23, £45 million has been allocated to support the continuation of 40 mental health hubs, the Professional Nurse Advocates programme and expanding the NHS Practitioner Health service.

NHS: Staff

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS employees are required to go through the NHS recruitment process when moving NHS Trusts to support their spouses’ transfer within the armed forces.

Will Quince: Individuals affected by a spouses’ transfer are advised to consult their employer and human resources team to explore the support and employment flexibilities which may be available. Many National Health Service organisations have signed the Armed Forces Covenant and have armed forces champions or networks which may also offer support.

Midwives: Liverpool Wavertree

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of midwives in Liverpool Wavertree constituency.

Will Quince: NHS England retains oversight of local workforce plans and is updated on vacancy rates. However, recruitment and retention is undertaken at trust level.In 2022, an additional £127 million has been invested in the National Health Service maternity workforce and improving neonatal care, including in Liverpool Wavertree. This is in addition to the £95 million invested in 2021 to fund a further 1,200 midwives and 100 consultant obstetricians. The NHS People Plan focuses on improving the retention of NHS staff by prioritising staff health and wellbeing. In 2022/23, £45 million has been allocated to support the continuation of 40 mental health hubs, the Professional Nurse Advocates programme and expanding the NHS Practitioner Health service.

Clinical Priorities Advisory Group

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many treatments were scheduled for review by the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group in the last review round in May 2022; how many of those scheduled were approved; and how many could not be approved as the budget had been used by higher priority treatments.

Will Quince: NHS England makes annual decisions on which new specialised treatments should be routinely commissioned. The decisions are based on advice from the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group, which includes of doctors, health experts and patient representatives and taken by the NHS England Board.Treatments are grouped into five levels of priority, with those of the highest relative clinical benefit for patients and the lowest relative cost classified as level one and treatments with the lowest relative clinical benefit and highest relative cost classified as level five. The outcome of the latest prioritisation round is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/spec-services/october-2022-prioritisation-decisions/

NHS England

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the (a) transparency and (b) inclusivity of processes for (i) NHS England Specialised services and (ii) the development of new commissioning policies.

Will Quince: The processes for NHS England Specialised Services and the development of new commissioning policies are published online. The October 2022 prioritisation decisions available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/spec-services/october-2022-prioritisation-decisions/NHS England makes decisions on which new specialised treatments should be routinely commissioned. The decisions are taken by the NHS England Board based on advice from the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group, which includes doctors, health experts and patient representatives.

Health Professions: Registration

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to ensure that potential increases in professional registration fees for NHS staff are reflected in NHS pay settlements.

Will Quince: Regulators of health and care professionals are responsible for setting professional registration fees, some of which require the approval of the Privy Council and in some cases, the Scottish Parliament. The independent Pay Review Body process is the established mechanism for determining pay uplifts in the public sector, including National Health Service staff, outside of negotiating multi-year pay and contract reform deals. The independent Pay Review Bodies base its recommendation on a number of factors, including inflation and the economic context, recruitment and retention, morale and motivation of NHS staff. In formulating its recommendations, the Pay Review Bodies also consider evidence from a wide range of stakeholders, including NHS system partners and trade unions.

Midwives: Tooting

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of midwives in Tooting constituency.

Will Quince: NHS England retains oversight of local workforce plans and is updated on vacancy rates. However, recruitment and retention is undertaken at trust level.In 2022, an additional £127 million has been invested in the National Health Service maternity workforce and improving neonatal care, including in Tooting. This is in addition to the £95 million invested in 2021 to fund a further 1,200 midwives and 100 consultant obstetricians. The NHS People Plan focuses on improving the retention of NHS staff by prioritising staff health and wellbeing. In 2022/23, £45 million has been allocated to support the continuation of 40 mental health hubs, the Professional Nurse Advocates programme and expanding the NHS Practitioner Health service.

General Practitioners: Walsall South

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate her Department has made of the number of GP appointments in Walsall South constituency in the past 12 months; and what that number was in 2013.

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of GP appointments in Walsall South constituency conducted face-to-face in the past 12 months; and what that figure was in 2013.

Will Quince: This information is not collected in the format requested. However, in the 12 months to September 2022, there were 6.67 million general practice appointments in the NHS Black Country Integrated Care System area, excluding COVID-19 vaccinations. Of these, 65% were conducted face-to-face.

Breast Cancer: Luton North

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help increase the uptake of breast cancer screening in Luton North constituency.

Will Quince: The Department is working with NHS England to finalise the delivery of £10 million for breast screening units, including determining which areas will benefit from this investment.National Health Service breast screening providers are also encouraged to work with Cancer Alliances, Primary Care Networks, NHS regional teams and the voluntary sector to promote the uptake of breast screening and ensure access to services.

North East London Health and Care Partnership: Labour Turnover

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data her Department collects on the provision of local retention initiatives in the North East London ICS area.

Will Quince: We are working collectively across providers to support well-being for all our health and care staff, and have developed an overarching programme where staff can access support. More information here: keepingwellnel.nhs.ukNHS England are developing a network of retention leads to share local practice in Trusts, co-ordinated by their retention team. The NHS England retention programme includes Barts Health where initiatives are being developed that will be shared and rolled out across North East London ICS area.We are working together to establish a collective response to the cost of living crisis, including exploring flexible workforce spaces for staff. We are also working to develop a single offer of support for all staff which would include financial planning and advice services.All our Trusts have individually tailored retention programmes, including focusing on career development and training pathways to retain staff.

General Practitioners: Washington and Sunderland West

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of GP practices open in Washington and Sunderland West constituency; and what that number was in 2013.

Will Quince: There are 16 practices registered in Washington and Sunderland West in September 2013. In October 2022, 10 practices were registered in this region.Care should be taken when interpreting this data. Practices close for a variety of reasons, including practice mergers or retirement. A reduction in practice numbers does not mean a reduction in the quality of care. When a practice does close, patients are informed of the closure and advised to register at another local practice of their choice within their area. Practices and commissioners must put in place appropriate measures to ensure that the affected patients have access to GP services.

NHS: Labour Turnover

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an estimate of the number of medical practitioners who leave the NHS after their foundation years to work in other countries in the latest period for which data is available.

Will Quince: The United Kingdom Foundation Programme (UKFP) has surveyed doctors finishing their second year of foundation training. The last iteration of the survey in 2019 showed that at the end of training, 635 out of 6,864 trainees or 9.3%, reported their planned next work destination as outside of the UK. However, it is expected that some of these trainees will return to practice in the UK.The UKFP survey aligns with the latest information from the General Medical Council’s ‘The state of medical education and practice in the UK – the workforce report 2022’, which tracked the location of the 2016 cohort of doctors who completed their second year of foundation training. This shows that of 6,207 doctors who finished placements in England, only 387 or 6% had left the UK workforce after a year and 414 or 7% had left after five years. Those leaving may be working in other countries and also include those no longer working in the medical profession.

Lung Diseases: Newham

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact on (a) health inequality and (b) life expectancy of the decision by the North East London Cancer Alliance not to include patients from Newham in the initial round of invitations for targeted lung health checks.

Will Quince: The Targeted Lung Health Check Programme is a national pilot of a new service for those aged 55 to 74 years old who have ever smoked, which is being deployed in specific locations in England. In North East London, the decision on the location for the pilot was based on smoking prevalence data and geographical spread and maximising the impact of the pilot.The UK National Screening Committee has recommended a screening programme for lung cancer targeted at people aged 55 to 74 identified as being at high risk of lung cancer and we will consider the recommendation in due course.

NHS: Staff

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS employees have moved jobs within the health service to support their spouses’ transfer within the armed forces in the last five years.

Will Quince: The information requested is not held centrally.

Department of Health and Social Care: Public Expenditure

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Infrastructure and Projects Authority Annual Report on Major Projects 2021-22, published on 20 July 2022, what the expected annual (a) resource and (b) capital expenditure will be on the (i) Integrated Single Financial Environment, (ii) GP IT Futures Programme, (iii) ESR Transformation Programme, (iv) PHE Science Hub, (v) Frontline Digitisation, (vi) Shared Care Records, (vii) AI Labs, (viii) Supporting People at Home and (ix) New Hospital Programme in each financial year of those schemes.

Will Quince: A table showing the expected Resource Departmental expenditure limits (RDEL) and Capital (CDEL) expenditure for each of these programmes, subject to business case approvals where necessary is attached. The information has been updated to reflect the position as at the end of Quarter 2 of 2022/23.Expected RDEL and CDEL expenditure (xlsx, 25.5KB)

Podiatry: Blackpool North and Cleveleys

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate she has made of the level of podiatry vacancy rates in the NHS in Blackpool North and Cleveleys; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of those vacancies on patient treatment for diabetic foot complications.

Will Quince: This information is not collected in the format requested.

Health Professions: Registration

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the effect on health staff of trends in the level of professional registration fees.

Will Quince: No assessment has been made.

General Practitioners: Warrington North

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of GPs in Warrington North constituency.

Will Quince: We are working with NHS England, Health Education England and the profession to increase the general practice workforce in England, including in Warrington North. This includes measures to improve recruitment, address the reasons why doctors leave the profession and encourage them to return to practice.The updated GP Contract Framework announced a number of new schemes, alongside continued support for existing recruitment and retention schemes for the general practice workforce. This includes the GP Retention Scheme, the GP Retention Fund, the National GP Induction and Refresher, the Locum Support Scheme, the New to Partnership Payment and the Supporting Mentors Scheme.

Clinical Priorities Advisory Group

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the funding allocation from NHS England for the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group was in (a) 2020-21 and (b) 2021-22.

Will Quince: The Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG) makes recommendations to NHS England on the relative priority for investment in new specialised treatments which have not received a technology appraisal from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Funding to determine the number of new treatments which can be routinely commissioned is set annually as part of the overall specialised commissioning allocation process. In 2021/22 and 2022/23, £31 million was made available recurrently to support the CPAG’s recommendations. In 2020/21 different funding arrangements were put in place due to the temporary financial regime introduced during the pandemic.

Surgery: Tooting

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce waiting times for elective surgeries in Tooting constituency.

Will Quince: The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’ sets out how the National Health Service will recover and expand elective services over the next three years, including in Tooting. We have allocated more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25, in addition to the £2 billion Elective Recovery Fund and £700 million Targeted Investment Fund already made available in 2021/2022 to increase elective activity. This funding aims to deliver the equivalent of approximately nine million additional checks and procedures and 30% further elective activity by 2024/25 than pre-pandemic levels. A proportion of this funding will be invested in workforce capacity and training and we have committed to invest £5.9 billion for new beds, equipment and technology.The target to eliminate waiting times of two years or more for elective procedures was met in July 2022 and we aim to eliminate waiting time of eighteen months or more by April 2023. This will be achieved through increasing capacity, seeking alternate capacity in other trusts or the independent sector and engaging with patients to understand choices made regarding their care.

Surgery: Ealing North

James Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce waiting times for elective surgeries in Ealing North constituency.

Will Quince: The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’ sets out how the National Health Service will recover and expand elective services over the next three years, including in Ealing North. We have allocated more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25, in addition to the £2 billion Elective Recovery Fund and £700 million Targeted Investment Fund already made available in 2021/2022 to increase elective activity. This funding aims to deliver the equivalent of approximately nine million additional checks and procedures and 30% further elective activity by 2024/25 than pre-pandemic levels. A proportion of this funding will be invested in workforce capacity and training and we have committed to invest £5.9 billion for new beds, equipment and technology.The target to eliminate waiting times of two years or more for elective procedures was met in July 2022 and we aim to eliminate waiting time of eighteen months or more by April 2023. This will be achieved through increasing capacity, seeking alternate capacity in other trusts or the independent sector and engaging with patients to understand choices made regarding their care.

Diabetes: Dulwich and West Norwood

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were diagnosed with diabetes in Dulwich and West Norwood constituency in each of the last five years.

Will Quince: The following table shows the number of people that were diagnosed with diabetes in Dulwich and West Norwood constituency in each of the calendar years from 2016 to 2020, broken down by diabetes type. Year of diagnosisNumber of people diagnosed with diabetesType 1Type 2 and Other201615595201720340201820520201920325202015285  Source: National Diabetes AuditNotes:A person may have more than 1 diabetes diagnosis within the National Diabetes Audit. In this case, an algorithm is used to derive the best diagnosis date and diabetes type for each person. This is used in the analysis above.Disclosure control has been applied to all figures, as per the National Diabetes Audit publication – all numbers are rounded to the nearest 5, unless the number is 1 to 7, in which case it is rounded to ‘5’.Diabetes type is reported as ‘Type 1’ and ‘Type 2 and other’ within the National Diabetes Audit.‘Type 1’ includes where a person is recorded as having Type 1 diabetes in the National Diabetes Audit.‘Type 2 and other’ includes where a person is recorded as having Type 2 diabetes, Maturity-onset Diabetes of the Young, other or non-specified diabetes in the National Diabetes Audit.

General Practitioners: Ealing North

James Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has provided additional (a) financial and (b) other support to help tackle (i) patient backlogs and (ii) increased workloads in GP surgeries in Ealing North constituency.

Will Quince: The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’, published in February 2022, stated the ambition to reduce patient backlogs for planned National Health Service treatments and the government plans to spend more than £8bn from 2022/23 to 2024/25. We made £520 million available to expand general practice capacity during the pandemic. This was in addition to at least £1.5 billion announced in 2020 by 2024 which includes supporting increased workloads in GP surgeries, including in Ealing North. In September 2022, ‘Our plan for patients’ announced measures to support GP practices increase access and manage workload such as the provision of 31,000 phone lines and freeing up funding rules to widen the types of staff that work in general practice, including in Ealing North.

General Practitioners: Warrington North

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has provided additional a) financial and b) other support to help tackle (i) patient backlogs and (ii) increased workloads in GP surgeries in Warrington North constituency.

Will Quince: The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’, published in February 2022, stated the ambition to reduce patient backlogs for planned National Health Service treatments and the government plans to spend more than £8bn from 2022/23 to 2024/25. We made £520 million available to expand general practice capacity during the pandemic. This was in addition to at least £1.5 billion announced in 2020 by 2024 which includes supporting increased workloads in GP surgeries, including in Warrington North. In September 2022, ‘Our plan for patients’ announced measures to support GP practices increase access and manage workload such as the provision of 31,000 phone lines and freeing up funding rules to widen the types of staff that work in general practice, including in Warrington North.

General Practitioners: Garston and Halewood

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has provided additional (a) financial and (b) other support to help tackle (i) patient backlogs and (ii) increased workloads in GP surgeries in Garston and Halewood.

Will Quince: The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’, published in February 2022, stated the ambition to reduce patient backlogs for planned National Health Service treatments and the government plans to spend more than £8bn from 2022/23 to 2024/25. We made £520 million available to expand general practice capacity during the pandemic. This was in addition to at least £1.5 billion announced in 2020 by 2024 which includes supporting increased workloads in GP surgeries, including in Garston and Halewood. In September 2022, ‘Our plan for patients’ announced measures to support GP practices increase access and manage workload such as the provision of 31,000 phone lines and freeing up funding rules to widen the types of staff that work in general practice, including in Garston and Halewood.

General Practitioners: Bury South

Christian Wakeford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has provided additional (a) financial and (b) other support to help tackle (i) patient backlogs and (ii) increased workloads in GP surgeries in Bury South constituency.

Will Quince: The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’, published in February 2022, stated the ambition to reduce patient backlogs for planned National Health Service treatments and the government plans to spend more than £8bn from 2022/23 to 2024/25. We made £520 million available to expand general practice capacity during the pandemic. This was in addition to at least £1.5 billion announced in 2020 by 2024 which includes supporting increased workloads in GP surgeries, including in Bury South. In September 2022, ‘Our plan for patients’ announced measures to support GP practices increase access and manage workload such as the provision of 31,000 phone lines and freeing up funding rules to widen the types of staff that work in general practice, including in Bury South.

General Practitioners: Bury South

Christian Wakeford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if her Department will take steps to increase the availability of face-to-face GP appointments in Bury South constituency.

Will Quince: On 22 September 2022, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which contains measures to assist people make an informed choice on their general practitioner (GP) practice, book an appointment more easily, benefit from more care options and increase the diversity of general practice teams. This aims to increase the availability of appointment types, such as face-to-face, in England, including in Bury South constituency. NHS England’s guidance states that GP practices must provide face to face appointments and remote consultations and should respect preferences for face-to-face care unless there are good clinical reasons to the contrary.  While remote consultations can provide additional choice, flexibility and convenience for patients, this is not suitable for all patients or in all circumstances.

General Practitioners: Slough

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of GP surgeries were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Slough as of September 2022.

Will Quince: As of 1 September 2022, 15 (93.8%) GP practices were rated by CQC as Good overall in Slough.

General Practitioners: Slough

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has provided additional (a) financial and (b) other support to help tackle (i) patient backlogs and (ii) increased workloads in GP surgeries in Slough constituency.

Will Quince: The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’, published in February 2022, stated the ambition to reduce patient backlogs for planned National Health Service treatments and the government plans to spend more than £8bn from 2022/23 to 2024/25. We made £520 million available to expand general practice capacity during the pandemic. This was in addition to at least £1.5 billion announced in 2020 by 2024 which includes supporting increased workloads in GP surgeries, including in Slough. In September 2022, ‘Our plan for patients’ announced measures to support GP practices increase access and manage workload such as the provision of 31,000 phone lines and freeing up funding rules to widen the types of staff that work in general practice, including in Slough.

General Practitioners: Rotherham

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has provided additional (a) financial and (b) other support to help tackle (i) patient backlogs and (ii) increased workloads in GP surgeries in Rotherham constituency.

Will Quince: The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’, published in February 2022, stated the ambition to reduce patient backlogs for planned National Health Service treatments and the government plans to spend more than £8bn from 2022/23 to 2024/25. We made £520 million available to expand general practice capacity during the pandemic. This was in addition to at least £1.5 billion announced in 2020 by 2024 which includes supporting increased workloads in GP surgeries, including in Rotherham. In September 2022, ‘Our plan for patients’ announced measures to support GP practices increase access and manage workload such as the provision of 31,000 phone lines and freeing up funding rules to widen the types of staff that work in general practice, including in Rotherham.

General Practitioners: Streatham

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has provided additional (a) financial and (b) other support to help tackle (i) patient backlogs and (ii) increased workloads in GP surgeries in Streatham constituency.

Will Quince: The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’, published in February 2022, stated the ambition to reduce patient backlogs for planned National Health Service treatments and the government plans to spend more than £8bn from 2022/23 to 2024/25. We made £520 million available to expand general practice capacity during the pandemic. This was in addition to at least £1.5 billion announced in 2020 by 2024 which includes supporting increased workloads in GP surgeries, including in Streatham. In September 2022, ‘Our plan for patients’ announced measures to support GP practices increase access and manage workload such as the provision of 31,000 phone lines and freeing up funding rules to widen the types of staff that work in general practice, including in Streatham.

Dental Services: Walsall South

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of dental practices were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Walsall South constituency in each six month period of the last three years.

Will Quince: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) does not currently rate providers of primary dental care services. The Care Quality Commission publishes an assessment against five ‘key aspects’ that determine whether a dental provider is meeting its regulatory requirements. These are:Treating people with respect and involving them in their careProviding care, treatment and support that meets people's needsCaring for people safely and protecting them from harmStaffingQuality and suitability of management The CQC’s website allows the public to search by service type and location to find local dentists and their profiles, which display their regulatory performance and inspection reports.

Dental Services: Slough

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of dental practices were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Slough as of September 2022.

Will Quince: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) does not currently rate providers of primary dental care services.  The Care Quality Commission publishes an assessment against five ‘key aspects’ that determine whether a dental provider is meeting its regulatory requirements. These are:Treating people with respect and involving them in their careProviding care, treatment and support that meets people's needsCaring for people safely and protecting them from harmStaffingQuality and suitability of managementThe CQC’s website allows the public to search by service type and location to find local dentists and their profiles, which display their regulatory performance and inspection reports.

General Practitioners: Washington and Sunderland West

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if her Department will take steps to increase the availability of face-to-face GP appointments in Washington and Sunderland West constituency.

Will Quince: On 22 September 2022, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which contains measures to assist people make an informed choice on their general practitioner (GP) practice, book an appointment more easily, benefit from more care options and increase the diversity of general practice teams. This aims to increase the availability of appointment types, such as face-to-face, in England, including in Washington and Sunderland West. NHS England’s guidance states that GP practices must provide face to face appointments and remote consultations and should respect preferences for face-to-face care unless there are good clinical reasons to the contrary.  While remote consultations can provide additional choice, flexibility and convenience for patients, this is not suitable for all patients or in all circumstances.

Podiatry: City of Durham

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of (a) podiatry vacancy rates in the NHS in City of Durham constituency and (b) the impact these vacancies will have on patient treatment for diabetic foot complications.

Will Quince: The Department does not hold information on podiatry vacancies at a constituency level and therefore no specific assessment of the rate or its impact on services has been made.

Dental Services: Luton South

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of dental practices were rated as good by the Care Quality Commission in Luton South constituency as of 20 October 2022.

Will Quince: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) does not currently rate providers of primary dental care services. The Care Quality Commission publishes an assessment against five ‘key aspects’ that determine whether a dental provider is meeting its regulatory requirements. These are:Treating people with respect and involving them in their careProviding care, treatment and support that meets people's needsCaring for people safely and protecting them from harmStaffingQuality and suitability of management The CQC’s website allows the public to search by service type and location to find local dentists and their profiles, which display their regulatory performance and inspection reports.

General Practitioners: Walsall South

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of GP practices open in Walsall South constituency; and what that number was in 2013.

Will Quince: In September 2013, there were 29 practices registered in Walsall South. In October 2022, 24 practices were registered in this region.Practices close for a variety of reasons, including practice mergers or retirement. A reduction in practice numbers does not indicate a reduction in the quality of care. When a practice closes, patients are informed and advised to register at another local practice of their choice. Practices and commissioners must put in place appropriate measures to ensure that affected patients have access to general practitioner services.

General Practitioners: Garston and Halewood

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of GP practices open in Garston and Halewood constituency as of 25 October 2022; and what that number was in 2013.

Will Quince: In September 2013, there were 21 practices registered in Garston and Halewood. In October 2022, 19 practices were registered in this region.Practices close for a variety of reasons, including practice mergers or retirement. A reduction in practice numbers does not indicate a reduction in the quality of care. When a practice closes, patients are informed and advised to register at another local practice of their choice. Practices and commissioners must put in place appropriate measures to ensure that affected patients have access to general practitioner services.

Ministry of Justice

Rape: Trials

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2022 to Question 45824 on the pilot of Specialist Sexual Violence Support in the Crown Court, what the budgets are for the pilot in each location, as announced on 16 June 2022.

Edward Argar: In June 2022, we announced the introduction of enhanced support for victims of rape and serious sexual offences through the Specialist Sexual Violence Support (SSVS) in the Crown Court project. This project is being delivered in three locations: Leeds, Newcastle, and Snaresbrook in London. This work aims to improve the support on offer in court, as well as increasing the volume of cases going through the system.We are working to ensure that the Court Centres have the resources needed to ensure the project is successful. We continue to engage with local partners to understand the exact requirements for each phase of work in each location and we are using this to inform funding decisions.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Emergencies: Education

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Education Cannot Wait's case for investment in the UN’s global fund for education in emergencies and its 2023-26 Strategic Plan; and if he will make statement.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is proud to be a co-founding member and leading donor to Education Cannot Wait (ECW). Given the UK Government's response to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, wider Official Development Assistance (ODA) pressures, including the ODA-eligible expenditure incurred through the Afghan resettlement programme and the UK's support to people fleeing Ukraine, the FCDO and other ODA spending departments will need to revisit aid budgets to ensure all eligible spending is managed within 0.5% of Gross National Income this calendar year.The Government remains committed to transparency and will provide an update to Parliament on spending plans in due course.

Italy: Ethnic Groups

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Italian counterpart on the (a) financial support and (b) legal protections available to ethnic minority communities living in Italy.

Leo Docherty: Ministers across His Majesty's Government regularly speak to their Italian counterparts. The Foreign Secretary looks forward to working closely with Foreign Minister Tajani, who was appointed on 22 October. Italian domestic policies, including support and protections for ethnic minority communities in Italy, are a matter for the Italian Government.

Developing Countries: Teachers

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of developing a global teacher strategy that provides for a commitment to inclusive and gender transformative teaching around the world.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We need global collaboration to ensure all children and young people globally, can learn and reach their potential. The recent global Commitment to Action on Foundational Learning, endorsed by the FCDO, includes support to teachers, and the most marginalised children, including girls. Teaching quality is the most important factor affecting learning in schools. The UK's 2018 Education Policy, and 2021 Girls' Education Action Plan, and the G7 Global Education Objectives, demonstrate the commitment to invest in good teaching and reach marginalised girls. Our programmes work with partners and governments, using the best available evidence, to support quality teaching globally.

Development Aid: Malnutrition

David Mundell: To ask the Minister for International Development, what plans she has to join the USAID, European donors, and private philanthropies in supporting the provision of child wasting treatments as announced at the UN General Assembly.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Nutrition is a core focus of our work on global health, our humanitarian response and in support of UK goals on girls' education and climate. The UK remains committed to tackling child wasting, and this was reaffirmed by Lord Goldsmith at the United Nations General Assembly event on child wasting in September hosted by United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and USAID.The UK launched a five year partnership with UNICEF in 2020 to work to reform the prevention and treatment of child wasting. The Nutrition Match Fund is an early success of this partnership; it provides an equal financial match to countries' domestic contributions for therapeutic feeding. The UK Government announced a £2 million contribution to the Match Fund in June 2022 for a total UK contribution so far of £4 million.

Sudan: Demonstrations

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of protesters a) injured and b) killed during anti-coup protests in Sudan in the last 12 months; and what steps he is taking to hold those responsible to account.

Leo Docherty: The UK has repeatedly condemned the actions of the Sudanese security forces against protestors. The Sudan Central Doctors Committee has confirmed that 119 protestors have been killed since the military coup on 25 October 2021, with many more injured. We have called for those responsible for abuses to be held accountable. On 24 October 2022 the UK, with partners, released a statement urging the security forces to refrain from using violence against protestors ahead of the one year anniversary of the coup. We continue to call on the Sudanese authorities to fulfill their obligation to protect the freedom of expression and peaceful assembly across Sudan. The UK's Special Representative for Sudan and South Sudan delivered this message directly to the Sudanese authorities most recently on 27 September 2022 in Khartoum. We continue to call for an end to the political crisis through the establishment of a civilian-led government in Sudan.

China: Foreign Relations

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Government is committed to publishing a China strategy

Leo Docherty: Our approach to China is coordinated across Government. The FCDO is at the heart of the cross-Whitehall strategic approach to China, in line with the Integrated Review. It remains the case that we do not publish National Security strategies on China or other issues.We continue to implement a comprehensive and coordinated approach to China in support of UK national interests, engaging our like-minded international partners as we do so.

Kenya: Veterans

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much of the £19.9m settlement has been paid to Mau Mau veterans since the announcement of the scheme in 2013?

Leo Docherty: It is a matter for the Mau Mau veterans' legal representatives. Leigh Day solicitors and their clients were responsible for the individual allocations of the global sum settlement of £19.9 million from the UK Government.

Integrated Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy Review

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Government is committed to the Integrated Review refresh by the end of the year.

Leo Docherty: The UK Government will make a decision on the Integrated Review refresh in due course.

India: Visas

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Indian counterpart on the availability of visa interview appointments at the Indian High Commission in London.

Leo Docherty: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office regularly works with the Government of India (GoI) to consider how to remove barriers in the way of greater co-operation between our two countries and will continue to raise issues such as improving visa services for British Citizens; we will continue to update FCDO Travel Advice on GOV.UK with the latest information. We respect the GoI's right to set its visa policies, just as we would expect the Indian authorities to respect the UK's immigration and visa procedures.

Horn of Africa: Malnutrition

David Mundell: To ask the Minister for International Development, with reference to Save the Children’s press release entitled new figures reveal more than half of children in Somalia now facing malnutrition, published on 14 September 2022, what recent assessment she has made of that organisation's recommendation to invest £70m to help treat malnourished children in the Horn of Africa.

Leo Docherty: The humanitarian situation in Somalia is devastating, with roughly half of the country now in need of life saving aid. In order to alleviate the impact of drought and address the risk of famine, since 1 April 2022, the UK has allocated £52.8 million in humanitarian, health and nutrition support to Somalia. UK funded activities are making a difference and saving lives.The FCDO is prioritising spending that is vital to protect against immediate threat to life and wellbeing, will prevent people falling into humanitarian need, or will prevent delays to accessing healthcare, primary education, sanitation and clean water. Ministers will make any adjustments and final aid prioritisation decisions based on additional Official Development Assistance pressures this autumn.

Bahrain: Political Prisoners

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps to help ensure the immediate and unconditional release of political prisoners in Bahrain.

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to help tackle human rights violations in Bahrain.

Leo Docherty: Officials and ministers have regular discussions with senior Bahraini counterparts on human rights issues, most recently during Lord (tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon's meeting with Bahrain's Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani in September in New York. We continue to monitor developments on all matters that relate to human rights within Bahrain and discuss individual cases both with the Bahraini Government as well as with the independent oversight bodies.

East Africa: Malnutrition

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential long-term impact of ongoing hunger crises in East Africa on levels of malnutrition in that region.

Leo Docherty: Across East Africa over 51 million people face severe food insecurity, of which 700,000 are facing famine-like conditions in South Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia. The ongoing drought in the region and dire water shortages are driving alarming levels of malnutrition; about 4.9 million children and 986,100 pregnant and lactating women are acutely malnourished in drought affected areas in the Horn of Africa, including about 1.4 million children who are severely acutely malnourished. There are concrete warnings that the October - December rains might fail. If so, serious humanitarian needs will persist into 2023.The UK is a major donor to the East Africa region and UK-funded activities are making a difference and saving lives. In Financial Year 2022/23, the UK intends to provide £156 million in humanitarian aid towards crises in East Africa. Of this amount, nearly 50 percent has been allocated as of mid-September.

India: Accidents

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the means of redress for survivors of the Bhopal gas explosion.

Leo Docherty: The loss of life resulting from the chemical leak in Bhopal in 1984 was a terrible tragedy, one which continues to affect the citizens of Bhopal to this day. The FCDO does not run specific programmes for those affected by the Bhopal disaster given that responsibility for remediation rests with the Indian authorities. However, we work closely with the State Government and other civil society partners to improve health, nutrition, basic urban services, and rural livelihoods for the poorest and most socially excluded communities.

Democracy and Human Rights

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when his Department plans to publish the Human Rights and Democracy: 2021 Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office report.

Leo Docherty: We intend to publish the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's 2021 Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report in due course.

Israel: Palestinians

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on holding independent investigations into the reported use of live ammunition and killing of (a) Yamen Nafez Mahmoud Khanafseh aged 15 years on 6 March 2022, (b) Nader Haitham Fathi Rayyan aged 16 years on 15 March 2022, and (c) Sanad Mohammad Khalil Abu Atiya aged 16 years on 31 March 2022 in that country.

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on holding independent investigations into the reported shooting and death of (a) Mohammad Hussein Mohammad Qassim aged 16 on 9 April 2022 and (b) Shawkat Kamal Shawkat Abed aged 17 in April 2022 in that country.

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on holding an independent investigation into the reported shooting in the head and killing of Qusai Fuad Mohammad Hamamra aged 14 on 14 April 2022 in that country.

Leo Docherty: We regularly raise the issue of the high numbers of Palestinians killed and injured by Israeli Defence Forces in the West Bank and Gaza with the Israeli authorities, encouraging them to carry out swift, transparent and thorough investigations and, if wrongdoing is found, that those responsible be held to account. We will continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population, particularly the need to protect children, and urge restraint in the use of live fire.

Israel: Palestinians

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications of the killing of 21 Palestinian children by Israeli forces and armed civilians in the West Bank between January and September 2022; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions his Israeli counterpart on launching independent investigations into the death of (a) Mohammad Akram Ali Taher Abu Salah on 14 February 2022 and (b) Mohammed Rezq Shehadeh Saleh on 22 February 2022.

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the use of live ammunition by Israeli forces against Palestinian children in the West Bank; and if he will make a statement.

Leo Docherty: We regularly raise the issue of the high numbers of Palestinians killed and injured by Israeli Defence Forces in the West Bank and Gaza with the Israeli authorities, encouraging them to carry out swift, transparent and thorough investigations and, if wrongdoing is found, that those responsible be held to account. We will continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population, particularly the need to protect children, and urge restraint in the use of live fire.

Members: Correspondence

Alyn Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans to respond to the letter of 8th of September 2022 from the hon. Member for Stirling on the location of the UK Embassy in Israel.

Leo Docherty: We are grateful to the Honourable member for bringing this matter to our attention. We apologise for the delay. A response will be issued in due course.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Location

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what payments were made to civil servants in his Department for relocation costs to government offices outside London in 2021.

Alex Chalk: It is taking time to collate the required information to answer the hon. Member’s Question. I will write to her when the information is available, and a copy of this letter will be placed in the Library of The House.

Early Warning Systems

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps hen has taken to help tackle the capability gap in the early warning and command and control (AEW&C) capability.

Alex Chalk: Early retirement of Sentry in 2021 allowed for reinvestment into our fleet of Wedgetail AEW Mk1, which will be a vastly different and significantly more capable system than Sentry and will provide an advanced Airborne Multi-Domain Battle Management platform. As we transition between the two platforms, the UK will benefit from NATO tasking as required, with the NATO Airborne Early Warning & Control Force, by a suite of other RAF Intelligence Surveillance & Reconnaissance assets. The CROWSNEST helicopter based AEW&C is also in service.

Fleet Solid Support Ships: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 19 October to Question 61778 on Fleet Solid Support Ships: Procurement, what his definition is of sensitive systems.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 19 October to Question 61778 on Fleet Solid Support Ships: Procurement, whether his Department has set the value of expected workshare to bidders.

Alex Chalk: Sensitive systems to be embodied in the Fleet Solid Support ships are defined as those that are subject to national security restrictions such as sensitive military communications equipment and defensive weapons.In respect of Question 70998, I refer the right hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave him on 17 May 2022 to question number 72.Fleet Solid Support Ships (docx, 16.3KB)

Ukraine: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his written statement Military Support to Ukraine HCWS259 of 21 July, whether the Government established a contract to re-stock Mally T150 heavy lift unmanned aerial vehicle systems.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his written statement Military Support to Ukraine HCWS259 of 21 July, whether the Government has established a contract to replace the M270 multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) provided to Ukraine.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his written statement Military Support to Ukraine HCWS259 of 21 July, whether the Government has established a contract to replace Mastiff armoured fighting vehicles provided to Ukraine.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his written statement Military Support to Ukraine HCWS259 of 21 July, the Government has established a contract to re-stock  laser designator intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems provided to Ukraine.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his written statement Military Support to Ukraine HCWS259 of 21 July, whether the Government has established a contract to re-stock optical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems provided to Ukraine.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his written statement Military Support to Ukraine HCWS259 of 21 July, whether the Government has established a contract to re-stock radar intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) systems provided to Ukraine.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his written statement Military Support to Ukraine HCWS259 of 21 July, has the Government established a contract to re-stock rations.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his written statement Military Support to Ukraine HCWS259 of 21 July, whether the Government has established a contract to re-stock clothing.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his written statement Military Support to Ukraine HCWS259 of 21 July, whether the Government has established a contract to re-stock thermal life support equipment.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his written statement Military Support to Ukraine HCWS259 of 21 July, whether the Government has established a contract to re-stock sleeping life support equipment.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to written statement HCWS259, whether the Government has established a contract to replace the autonomous minehunting systems provided to Ukraine.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his written statement Military Support to Ukraine HCWS259 of 21 July, whether the Government has established a contract to replace the ambulances and soft skinned mobility systems provided to Ukraine.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government has established a contract to replace the howitzer artillery guns provided to Ukraine.

Alex Chalk: The UK is proud to be leading the way in our support to the Ukraine. A wide variety of Military Equipment has been either gifted in kind or rapidly procured for Ukraine by the UK. Some of the equipment gifted from our own stocks will be replenished through contracts with suppliers, but other equipment does not require replacing as it is nearing the end of its in-service life.

Defence: Expenditure

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Government's target is for defence spending by 2030.

Alex Chalk: Information regarding the Government's spending plans are currently due to be announced in the Autumn Statement on 17 November.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Trials

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the average timeframe for User Validation Trials for armoured vehicles to be completed.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to statement HCWS332 of 20 October on Armoured Cavalry Programme: Ajax Update, how many trial stages the Ajax programme must complete before reaching Initial Operating Capability.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to statement HCWS332 of 20 October on Armoured Cavalry Programme: Ajax Update, when he expectsthe User Validation Trials for Ajax to be completed.

Alex Chalk: The User Validation Trials are additional bespoke trials that aim to help establish the effectiveness of the proposed Ajax modifications to address the noise and vibration problems and thereby deliver a safe system of work under which to conduct Reliability Growth Trials. User Validation Trials consist of a combination of dynamic testing and detailed analysis of the results. The duration will be dependent on the results and the level of analysis required. I will, however, continue to ensure that the House is kept updated.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Nature Conservation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support farmers with rewilding projects; and if he will make an assessment of the impact of potential changes in proposed Environmental Land Management schemes on the environment.

Mark Spencer: This Government has a world-leading agenda for nature recovery backed up by plans for a legally binding target to halt nature’s decline by 2030. Our 25-Year Environment Plan sets out our ambition for a growing and resilient network of land, water and sea that is richer in plants and wildlife. We will restore 75% of our one million hectares of protected sites to favourable condition, securing their wildlife value for the long term. Internationally we have also committed to protect 30% of the UK’s land and ocean by 2030 through the Leaders Pledge for Nature, committing to put nature and biodiversity globally on a road to recovery by 2030. In order to support this ambitious work, we published a Nature Recovery Green Paper earlier this year setting out proposals to reform our system of protections, including the Habitats Regulations. The Nature Recovery Green Paper consultation closed in May and we are now in the process of analysing responses with our response to be published in due course. We have awarded 22 Landscape Recovery project development contracts, almost all of which involve both food production and environmental improvements. This demonstrates our consistent position: a strong, healthy environment and a strong, healthy economy are not mutually exclusive. We remain committed to our environmental land management schemes. In light of the pressures farmers are facing as a result of the current global economic situation, including spikes in input costs, it’s only right that we look at how best to deliver the schemes to see where and how improvements can be made. We will continue to work closely with the sector in developing the schemes.

Agriculture: Nitrogen

Mr David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the current capacity of the European nitrogen production industry to meet the needs of British agriculture.

Mark Spencer: Due to the increase in cost of natural gas across the globe, the cost of production of nitrogen-based fertiliser types has increased significantly. It has also affected Europe and the global market with some fertiliser companies halting or reducing production due to high input costs. Fertiliser supply in Britain is resilient. Britain sources both nitrogen-based and non-nitrogen fertiliser from a wide range of countries and produces ammonium nitrate fertiliser domestically, although prices are volatile caused by fluctuating gas prices. Domestic and imported nitrogen-based fertiliser prices dropped from May after their peak in March, coinciding with annual lower summer gas prices. The fertiliser market has been flexible in continuing to source nitrogen-based fertiliser from the global market, and we understand from continued engagement with the sector that many farmers have switched their preferred nitrogen-based fertiliser from ammonium nitrate to urea and inhibited urea, reflecting the lower cost per tonne of nitrogen for crops. Although we have historically sourced most ammonium nitrate from Europe, other countries such as Algeria and Egypt are major sources of other nitrogen-based fertiliser such as urea. Defra hosts Fertiliser Taskforce meetings with key industry figures including the National Farmers Union, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board. We are continuing to monitor the security and stability of fertiliser and other supply chains, and work closely with colleagues across HM Government and devolved administrations as well as industry figures through the Taskforce. To support farmers the Basic Payment Scheme payment will be made in 2 instalments to give farmers greater financial fluidity. Other actions taken include changes to guidance on farmers using manures, increased grants for farmers and growers, boosting research and development, and a delay to changes to the use of urea by at least a year. When the urea restrictions are introduced, they will be related to the use of ammonia inhibitors rather than a complete ban. Defra is committed to promoting the use of less environmentally damaging fertilisers and better nutrient use efficiency. The efficient use of organic fertilisers can complement the use of mineral fertilisers, whilst reducing input costs. We know many farmers already use organic fertiliser to complement their nutrient management planning.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Location

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if they will publish the payments made to officials in their Department for relocation to government offices outside London in 2021.

Mark Spencer: No relocation expenses have been incurred in 2021/22. Defra's Places for Growth approach is for new roles to be based outside of London rather than through compulsory relocation. Staff are free to relocate outside of London to one of our alternative locations, but this is on a voluntary basis.

Environmental Land Management Schemes

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is committed to the continuation of environmental land management schemes.

Mark Spencer: We remain committed to environmental land management and are looking at how best to deliver the schemes to see where and how improvements can be made. We will continue to work closely with the sector in developing the schemes and publish more information by the end of the year.

Environment Protection: EU Law

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) revoking or (b) amending his Department’s pieces of retained EU law on the maintenance of the UK’s environmental standards; and if he will make a statement.

Trudy Harrison: Defra is in the process of analysing its REUL stock and determining what should be preserved as part of domestic law, as well as REUL that should be repealed, or amended. This work will determine how we use the powers in the Bill and therefore inform assessments of the Bill’s impact, including in relation to environmental protections. The United Kingdom is a world leader in environmental protection and HM Government has clear environmental and climate goals, such as those set out in the Environment Act, the 25 Year Environment Plan and the Net Zero Strategy respectively. We are committed to delivering our legally binding target to halt nature’s decline by 2030. In reviewing our retained EU law, we want to ensure that environmental law is fit for purpose for the United Kingdom’s unique environment and able to drive improved environmental outcomes, whilst ensuring regulators can deliver efficiently. Any changes to environmental regulations will be driven with those goals in mind.

Fishing Gear: Regulation

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to bring forward legislative proposals to prevent the siting of seabed fishing equipment in any location within 300 metres of a navigational mark.

Mark Spencer: Fisheries management in the United Kingdom is devolved. Defra has no plans to bring forward legislation on locating fishing equipment near navigational marks. In England, passive gear, such as creels, used out to 12 nautical miles must be marked with labels, or if used between 12 and 200 nautical miles they should have a marker buoy. However, existing guidance available online also recommends that passive gear is marked with buoys from 0-12 nautical miles in English waters. There may also be specific rules regarding the marking of passive gear within 0-6 nautical miles managed at a local level by the relevant Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority.

Air Pollution: International Cooperation

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the (a) slide presentations and (b) minutes of the Task Force meeting on transboundary challenges of air pollution that took place on 11 October 2022.

Trudy Harrison: The Task Force for the Forum for International Cooperation on Air Pollution is an initiative under the United Nations Economic Commission, Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution and is co-Chaired by the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Sweden. A formal report of the meeting will be submitted to the Convention’s next Working Group on Strategies and Review and will be published on the UNECE website.

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential cost to UK musicians of placing Pernambuco wood on Appendix 1 of the CITES protected list.

Scott Mann: We are working closely with representatives from the music sector, including the Musicians' Union, the Incorporated Society of Musicians, and the Association of British Orchestras, to understand the potential impact of the proposal submitted to the 19th Conference of the Parties (CoP19) to CITES to include Pernambuco wood in Appendix I.While the proposal outlines the threats this species faces, we recognise too that this proposal could create significant burdens for industry and UK CITES Authorities. We will continue to engage with the sector and other Parties to ensure that any additional burdens are proportionate to the conservation benefits of the measures agreed.

Air Pollution: Standards

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has modelled scenarios to inform air quality target setting and  PM2.5 concentrations in 2030.

Trudy Harrison: Modelling was undertaken to inform the air quality targets, including for the year 2030, and this is set out in the Air Quality PM2.5 Detailed Evidence Report, published 6 May 2022.

Home Office

Independent Custody Visiting Association: Finance

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding her Department has provided via grants to the Independent Custody Visiting Association in each financial year since 2019-20 inclusive; and how much her Department plans to provide in financial year 2023-24.

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions he has had with the Independent Custody Visiting Association on ensuring the rights of children in police custody are upheld.

Chris Philp: The Home Office has provided the Independent Custody Visiting Association (ICVA) funding via grants since the financial year 2003-04. The grant value was £110,000 for the financial years 2019-20 and 2020-21, with the grant value increasing to £125,000 for the financial years 2021-22 and 2022-23.The grant was increased due to recognition that the funding amount had been stable for several years with no increase in line with inflation. There is no confirmation yet on funding for ICVA for next year as allocations and budgets for the Home Office for the financial year 2023-24 have not yet been finalised.Home Office officials have regular liaison with the Independent Custody Visiting Association and other custody stakeholders including the National Appropriate Adult Network, National Police Chiefs’ Council, Police Federation and His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services. This includes frequent discussion on the rights of children in police custody.

Police Custody: Children

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to encourage police forces who have not published data on the number of children detained in police custody ahead of the Police Powers and Procedures statistical data on 17 November 2022 to publish that data in the future.

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to encourage (a) police forces and (b) local authorities to sign up to the Concordat on Children in Police Custody.

Chris Philp: Children should only be detained in police custody when absolutely necessary. It is extremely positive that the number of children in police custody has decreased significantly over the last 10 years. However, sometimes it is operationally necessary to detain children in order to investigate alleged offences, bring offenders to justice and keep people safe. Children are rightly acknowledged as a protected group with specific needs and vulnerabilities and any detention of a child must be lawful, proportionate and carried out in accordance with appropriate safeguards and guidance.The College of Policing (CoP) Detention and Custody Authorised Professional Practice provides the framework and guidance for which police custody suites operate. The CoP has developed a one-day immersive training course for custody officers and staff focusing on high-risk scenarios, including one involving a detained child, that may be encountered in a custody suite. It will help officers take an individual approach to each detainee to best manage their welfare and minimise risk. In addition, The CoP’s foundation training involves a substantial input regarding detaining and escorting suspects to custody, taking into consideration the vulnerability and risk factors of each suspect.The Government published the Concordat on Children in Custody in 2017. The Concordat sets out the statutory duties of the police and local authorities and provides a protocol for how transfers from police custody into local authority care should work in practice. Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide accommodation for any child charged and denied bail unless it is impractical to do so. The Home Office frequently raises awareness of the Concordat in meetings with policing stakeholders.Information on the ethnicity of children detained in custody is currently collected using the 2011 Census 18+1 categories, which includes the ‘Gypsy and Irish traveller’ group. From the year ending March 2024 the Home Office has proposed to start collecting ethnicity data from forces using the 2021 Census 19+1 categories, which includes the ‘Roma’ group.The police custody data collection is currently voluntary and ahead of its publication on 17 November as part of the Police Powers and Procedures bulletin will be assessed for its quality. The Home Office is aware that due to various technical issues, not all forces have been able to provide a full and accurate data set. The Home Office is working with forces and the NPCC to help improve the quality and number of responses received from forces.

Police Custody: Children

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure Custody Officers receive sufficient training on the detention of children in police custody.

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to introduce a requirement for police forces to collect data on the number of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children detained in police custody.

Chris Philp: Children should only be detained in police custody when absolutely necessary. It is extremely positive that the number of children in police custody has decreased significantly over the last 10 years. However, sometimes it is operationally necessary to detain children in order to investigate alleged offences, bring offenders to justice and keep people safe. Children are rightly acknowledged as a protected group with specific needs and vulnerabilities and any detention of a child must be lawful, proportionate and carried out in accordance with appropriate safeguards and guidance.The College of Policing (CoP) Detention and Custody Authorised Professional Practice provides the framework and guidance for which police custody suites operate. The CoP has developed a one-day immersive training course for custody officers and staff focusing on high-risk scenarios, including one involving a detained child, that may be encountered in a custody suite. It will help officers take an individual approach to each detainee to best manage their welfare and minimise risk. In addition, The CoP’s foundation training involves a substantial input regarding detaining and escorting suspects to custody, taking into consideration the vulnerability and risk factors of each suspect.The Government published the Concordat on Children in Custody in 2017. The Concordat sets out the statutory duties of the police and local authorities and provides a protocol for how transfers from police custody into local authority care should work in practice. Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide accommodation for any child charged and denied bail unless it is impractical to do so. The Home Office frequently raises awareness of the Concordat in meetings with policing stakeholders.Information on the ethnicity of children detained in custody is currently collected using the 2011 Census 18+1 categories, which includes the ‘Gypsy and Irish traveller’ group. From the year ending March 2024 the Home Office has proposed to start collecting ethnicity data from forces using the 2021 Census 19+1 categories, which includes the ‘Roma’ group.The police custody data collection is currently voluntary and ahead of its publication on 17 November as part of the Police Powers and Procedures bulletin will be assessed for its quality. The Home Office is aware that due to various technical issues, not all forces have been able to provide a full and accurate data set. The Home Office is working with forces and the NPCC to help improve the quality and number of responses received from forces.

Home Office: Correspondence

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2022 to Question 62757 on Members: Correspondence, for what reason the percentage of hon. Members written correspondence completed within his Department's service standard timescales reduced from 61 per cent in Q4 2021 to 30 per cent in Q2 2022.

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2022 to Question 62757 on Members: Correspondence, when his Department expects to meet its Q4 2019 response rate of completing 98 per cent. of hon. Members' correspondence received in a Quarter within service standard timescale.

Robert Jenrick: The Department works to a target of responding to 95% of Hon. Member’s written correspondence within 20 working days.Performance against target has been impacted by an unprecedented increase in MPs queries following the Afghan evacuation, Ukraine crisis and HM Passport Office application surge.We now have an operational plan to fully recover our position and I will shortly be writing to all Members setting these plans in more detail including timescales for delivery.

Deportation: Albania

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the modern slavery variant of the ILLEN or RED form was completed for any of the Albanian nationals removed from the UK on 12 October?

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any representatives of the Albanian police were present for the handling of Albanian nationals selected for removal on 12 October.

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the role the Albanian police played during the removal of Albanian nationals on 12 October; and whether the Albanian police had direct contact with those Albanian nationals.

Robert Jenrick: We do not routinely comment on individual cases.All those arriving in the UK by small boat, regardless of nationality, are given the opportunity to raise any protection claims. No one has been removed whilst they had a pending claim for protection or as a potential victim of modern slavery.The Albanian police representative working with the Home Office to tackle organised crime groups have no role in UK immigration decisions or the return of individuals to Albania.

Migrants

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for visa extensions from people with limited leave to remain in the UK were pending on 25 October (a) 2021 and (b) 2022.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office Transparency data sets out how the department is performing against its service standard, which can be found on the GOV.UK webpage: Immigration statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) This will cover the period for 25 October 2021. The period for 25 October 2022 has not been published yet.

Missing Persons: Children

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what responsibility her Department has towards children who go missing from accommodation provided by her Department; and if she will make an assessment of the reasons for which some children have gone missing (a) before arriving and (b) while at accommodation provided by her Department.

Robert Jenrick: Any child going missing is extremely serious, and we work with the police and local authorities to seek to urgently locate them and ensure they are safe. We are considering all options available to ensure unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) receive the critical care they need and to end the use of hotels. We have safeguarding procedures in place to ensure all unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in hotels are as safe and supported as possible as we seek urgent placements with a local authority. Young people are supported by team leaders and support workers who are on site 24 hours a day. Further care is provided in hotels by teams of social workers and nurses.  Staff, including contractors, receive a number of briefings and guidance on how to safeguard children. Records are kept and monitored of children leaving and returning to the hotel. Support workers will accompany children off site on activities and social excursions, or where specific vulnerabilities are identified.  The Home Office has no power to hold children in hotels or any temporary accommodation if they wish to leave. When a child who has gone missing from a hotel appears in another local area they should be treated as a child in need under section 17 of the Children Act 1989, and under section 20 of the Act, every local authority must provide accommodation for any child in need within their area who appears to them to require accommodation. As such the local authority where the child presents themselves must take responsibility for the child and should seek to accommodate them as appropriate in accordance with section 20.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2022 to Question 59599 on Ethnic Groups: Afghanistan, if he will make it his policy to provide a pathway and a scheme for immediate and urgent resettlement for Hazara people who cannot access Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme Pathway Two because they have not been able to flee Afghanistan and who face (a) persecution and (b) sexual violence in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Jenrick: The UK welcomes vulnerable people in need of protection to the UK through our resettlement schemes. These schemes have provided safe and legal routes for tens of thousands of people to start new lives in the UK.The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) prioritises those who have stood up for values such as democracy and women’s rights in Afghanistan, as well as vulnerable groups, including ethnic and religious minorities. There are currently no plans to establish a bespoke pathway or scheme specifically for the Hazara Muslims in Afghanistan. The capacity of the UK to resettle people is not unlimited and difficult decisions have to be made on who will be prioritised for resettlement.We continue to work with likeminded partners and countries neighbouring Afghanistan on resettlement issues, and to support safe passage for eligible Afghans.

Asylum: Children

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2022 to Question 60996, whether a letter from the Chief Social Work Officer confirming the identity of an unaccompanied asylum seeking child (UASC), that they are travelling to a receiving local authority and that they need to travel by air would enable them to travel without an application reference card if they are accompanied by a member of staff from the receiving authority.

Robert Jenrick: A decision on the documentation that an airline would accept on a domestic flight would need to be made by the airline themselves, not the Home Office. It is open to receiving local authorities themselves to arrange the transport and to accompany the child on their journey from/to their care placement.

Detention Centres: Manston

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment the Government has made of the potential health and safety implications of overcrowding at the former Ministry of Defence site in Manston, Kent; and what is the maximum capacity of that facility.

Robert Jenrick: The facility at Manston draws on resources from the Home Office, Ministry of Defence and contracted services. There is no fixed capacity of the site - facilities and staffing are kept flexible in order to meet demand and changing requirements. We take the safety and welfare of those in our care extremely seriously. That’s why there are 24/7 health facilities provided at Manston and why risk assessments of all activities are subject to regular review.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2022 to Question 59602 on Refugees: Afghanistan, what provision his Department has made for undocumented people applying to join family who are recognised refugees in the UK and are unable to travel within Turkey to attend a visa application centre; if he will make it his policy to allow those people to apply online and provide biometric details on arrival in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Jenrick: An individual must, in most circumstances, provide their biometrics, in the form of a facial image and fingerprints, when applying for a visa or a biometric immigration document before they come to the UK. This is to ensure we can confirm their identity and fix them to it, and to conduct background security checks to establish whether they pose a threat to public safety. Anyone who is unable to travel to a visa application centre to enrol their biometrics can contact UKVI to request we defer or waive the requirement for them to provide their biometric information. Officials will not normally defer or waive the requirement to provide biometric information, unless their circumstances are so compelling as to make them exceptional. We would ordinarily expect an applicant who is in a country with a visa application centre, such as Turkey, to be allowed to travel within that country to complete their application.

Undocumented Migrants: Slavery

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if his Department will publish the guidance on its proposed policy to reclassify modern slavery as an illegal immigrationissue.

Robert Jenrick: This Government is committed to tackling the heinous crime of modern slavery and in the UK we have a world-leading response.There are close links between modern slavery and migration; about two thirds of potential victims are foreign nationals, and often potential victims have ongoing engagement with the immigration system.This is not a reclassification. Modern Slavery is a harmful and exploitative crime which Home Office ministers continue to tackle and support victims.

Visas: Applications

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to reduce the service standard for visas from 24 weeks back to 12 weeks.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has been prioritising Ukraine Visa Schemes applications in response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As such earlier this year the service standard was changed from 60-days to 120-days as a direct result. The bulk of resource has now returned to the route, along with an additional investment of new staff. We are keeping the service standard level under review.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make it his policy to exempt female Afghans who remain inside Afghanistan and who are family members of British nationals or persons settled in the UK from the English Language requirement of Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules on the basis of (a) the Taliban prohibition on women studying in Afghanistan, (b) the dangers of women traveling to and from Afghanistan to alternative study centres and (c) the absence of a Home Office approved language testing centre in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Jenrick: The Government believes those seeking to enter and make a permanent home in the UK should be equipped to integrate successfully in UK society, with an appropriate level of English and an understanding of British life.There are no current plans to suspend the requirement for female family members from Afghanistan to pass an English language test to enter the UK.However, under the current Immigration Rules an applicant can already be exempted from the English language requirement to enter the UK if a decision maker considers there are exceptional circumstances preventing the applicant from meeting the requirement.The applicant must demonstrate, as a result of these circumstances, they are unable to learn English before coming to the UK, or it is not practicable or reasonable for them to travel to another country to take an approved English language test.Each application for an exemption on the basis of exceptional circumstances will be considered on its merits on a case-by-case basis.

Visas: Overseas Students

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many graduate student visa holders are accompanied by five or six dependents.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office does not routinely publish data on the number of recipients of graduate student visas who are accompanied by dependants.Information on our immigration routes is available as part of our transparency data and can be found at: Visas and Citizenship data: Q2 2022.

Visas: Skilled Workers

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Skilled Worker visas were live as of 20 October 2022.

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average processing time was for Skilled Worker visa applications in the latest period for which data is available.

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to get back to the three-week service standard for processing Skilled Worker visa applications.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has re-allocated resources following the conclusion of the seasonal student visa application surge and recruited additional staff to deal with the extremely high demand. As a result, we expect the time taken to assess a skilled work visa application continues to reduce. The Home Office publishes data on visas in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release(opens in a new tab)’. Data on the number of applications and granted applications of the Skilled Worker visa are published in tables Vis_D01 and Vis_D02 of the entry clearance visas applications and outcomes(opens in a new tab) dataset, respectively.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the risk posed to Afghan climate activists still in Afghanistan; and for what reason those at risk have not been included in the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have arrived in the UK under Pathway 2 of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how Afghan activists at risk due to their environmental activism can travel to the UK to seek refuge.

Robert Jenrick: Those at-risk in Afghanistan and the region are eligible for resettlement through one of the three referral pathways laid out in the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) policy statement. The ACRS scheme is designed to support those who have assisted UK efforts in Afghanistan and stood up for UK values, as well as vulnerable people, such as women and girls at risk, and members of minority groups.Our referral process is designed to be fair and equitable to those it identifies to be in need. The capacity of the UK to resettle people is not unlimited and difficult decisions have to be made on who will be prioritised for resettlement.Under Pathway 2 of the ACRS, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) completes referrals based on their assessments of protection needs and vulnerabilities. We are pleased to have welcomed the first family to the UK under Pathway 2 of the ACRS. We will continue to receive referrals to the scheme in coming years.    Statistics on Afghan resettlement schemes and programmes - including the number of people resettled - will be included in the published Immigration Statistics.

Visas: Overseas Students

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many graduate student visa holders are accompanied by five or six dependents.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office does not routinely publish data on the number of recipients of graduate student visas who are accompanied by dependants.Information on our immigration routes is available as part of our transparency data and can be found at: Visas and Citizenship data: Q2 2022.

Deportation: Albania

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Albanian nationals were originally considered for removal from the UK on 12 October 2022 through the accelerated removals procedure; and how many were taken out of the process as a result of (a) making an asylum claim and (b) being identified as potential victims of modern slavery.

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether a full welfare assessment was conducted for every Albanian national selected for removal from the UK on 12 October 2022; where the assessment took place; and who undertook the assessment.

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what legal advice was available to and accessed by the Albanian nationals who were removed from the UK on 12 October 2022.

Robert Jenrick: We do not routinely comment on individual cases.All those arriving in the UK by small boat, regardless of nationality, are given the opportunity to raise any protection claims. No one has been removed whilst they had a pending claim for protection or as a potential victim of modern slavery.Our facilities at Western Jetfoil and Manston both have medical facilities staffed 24/7. Following a full health check by a medical professional, individuals are provided clean dry clothes. Messaging at both sites encourages individuals to make known any medical, welfare or individual needs they may have. Where vulnerable individuals are identified, appropriate care pathways are established.All individuals arriving in the UK may be examined to establish whether they require leave (permission) to enter the UK, including those arriving via an unauthorised or irregular route. In those circumstances, the presence of a legal representative is not necessary to determine the purpose of an individual’s arrival in the UK, and there is no legal right to such representation. Where an individual is unwilling to answer questions about the purpose of their arrival, the Border Force officer cannot be satisfied of the individuals eligibility to enter the UK and they may be refused.Where an individual mentions any fear of return to their home country, or indicates they may be a victim of modern slavery or trafficking then officers are required to follow the relevant processes to ensure that those claims are properly considered in line with our international and domestic legal obligations.Where interviews are being conducted in accordance with the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE), officers will be compliant with the codes of practice including the right to legal representation.

Immigration: Economic Growth

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2022 to Question 66008 on Overseas Students, what assessment the Government has made of the contribution of immigration to growth; and when that assessment will be published.

Robert Jenrick: Our offer to international students is extremely competitive and ensures that we continue to attract the best and brightest students from around the world.The Government’s International Education Strategy set out a target of attracting 600,000 international Higher Education students to the UK by 2030, which we have achieved almost a decade early. The public also rightly expects us to control immigration and ensure we have a system that works in the UK’s best interests. In launching the Student and Graduate immigration routes we published detailed impact assessments, and we continue to routinely publish Impact Assessments where they are required as a result of any changes to our routes. As the Growth Plan set out, the Government is looking at how immigration contributes to growth and will set out further details in due course.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Pensions: Public Sector

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the present economic situation on the performance of funded public sector pension schemes; and if he will make it his policy to ensure that any higher contribution costs introduced in such schemes are met by increased employer, not employee, contributions.

Lucy Frazer: The performance of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) is under regular review through actuarial valuations which take place every three years. An actuarial valuation is currently under way with an effective date of 31 March 2022.LGPS member contributions are set out in legislation.

Parking: Codes of Practice

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the guidance entitled Private Parking Code of Practice, published on 7 February 2022 and withdrawn on 7 June 2022, what recent progress his Department has made on implementing the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019; and whether his Department plans to publish an updated Private Parking Code of Practice.

Dehenna Davison: I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to PQ 54476  on 12 October 2022.

Affordable Housing: Key Workers

Liz Twist: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that public sector workers who are key workers have access to affordable homes.

Lee Rowley: An additional £11.5 billion of taxpayer-funded grant has been allocated to the Affordable Homes Programme, which is intended to provide tens of thousands of new homes across the country. Half the homes will be for Affordable and Social Rent, to help those in needThe Government has brought forward a range of interventions in recent years to promote home ownership. As an example, the First Homes programme is designed to help local first-time buyers and key workers on to the property ladder, by offering homes at a discount of at least 30% compared to the market price. The discount is passed on to all future purchasers in perpetuity, so these homes will keep helping first-time buyers onto the property ladder for generations to come.

Social Rented Housing

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps the Government is taking to increase the supply of new social housing units.

Lee Rowley: The provision of affordable housing is an existing part of the Government's plan to build more homes, and provide aspiring homeowners with a step onto the housing ladder.   The government has committed £11.5 billion of taxpayer-funded grant towards the supply of new affordable homes. This includes increasing the number of homes for social rent.

Housing: Construction

Liz Twist: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if it remains his policy to help ensure 300,000 new homes are built year by 2025; and how many new homes a year will be built for social rent.

Lee Rowley: The Government remains committed to ensuring more homes are built in the right places both to give people support where they need it and also to give more people the opportunity to own their own homes in the future.With regards to social rent, the Government has committed £11.5 billion of taxpayer funded grant to the latest Affordable Housing Programme. This is intended to provide tons of thousands of new homes across the country. A substantial number of these will be for social rent.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Location

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what payments were made to civil servants in his Department for relocation costs to government offices outside London in 2021.

Mr Steve Baker: In 2021, there were no payments made to civil servants in the Northern Ireland Office for relocation costs to government offices outside London.

Treasury

Small Businesses: Coventry

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps he is taking to support small and medium-sized enterprises in (a) Coventry North East constituency and (b) Coventry.

Andrew Griffith: Over the past two years, the Government has taken unprecedented action to protect millions of businesses, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Government-guaranteed loans. We have brought forward a number of measures to support businesses this year, including extending the Recovery Loan Scheme until June 2024; freezing the business rates multiplier for 2022-23; cutting business rates by 50% for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure businesses in 2022-23, up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business; and permanently setting the Annual Investment Allowance at its highest ever level of £1 million from 1 April 2023, instead of reverting to £200,000 as previously planned. The Government also increased the Employment Allowance from £4,000 to £5,000, which cut the cost of employment for 495,000 small businesses, and is reversing the National Insurance rise, which from next year will save small businesses £4,200 on average. Additionally, the Government is helping all eligible UK businesses, including small and medium sized businesses, with their energy bills through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme. Businesses in Coventry North East and Coventry can also call the Business Support Helpline or contact the Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub for free one-to-one support and advice.

Gift Aid

Peter Gibson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to make the Gift Aid system more (a) streamlined, (b) efficient, (c) effective and (d) simple for charities.

Andrew Griffith: The Government recognises the important work thecharity sector does in the UK, which is why we currently provide tax relief to charities and their donors worth over £5 billion per year, including over £1.3 billion in Gift Aid. The Government keeps all tax reliefs under review and HM Revenue and Customs is undertaking a review of the ‘Claim Gift Aid online’ service. The review considers all aspects of the service including whether the service meets the needs of its users, the registration and claims process. HMRC are engaging with the sector to understand the challenges faced when claiming Gift Aid online. One way this is taking place is through inviting charities to complete a short survey about the process. The survey can be found here: https://zwgy80l7.optimalworkshop.com/questions/z6n2hh7v

Revenue and Customs: Officers

Liz Twist: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that all complaints of racism and discriminatory behaviour by HMRC officers are investigated; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: Bullying, harassment, and discrimination of any kind, including racial discrimination, has no place whatsoever at HMRC. The wellbeing of all staff is a top priority, and HMRC does not tolerate any behaviour that makes staff, or taxpayers, feel uncomfortable. HMRC has policies which cover what action individuals can take if they experience discrimination within the workplace, and has developed comprehensive guidance on how to raise a concern. All concerns are investigated in accordance with the Civil Service investigation standards. HMRC has introduced a number of services to ensure staff can speak up if they see, hear, or experience anything that gives them a cause for concern. It has also introduced steps to ensure that complaints are investigated impartially with the decision taken by an independent decision manager with full support from expert HR advisers.

Revenue and Customs: Officers

Liz Twist: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how long it takes to be trained as an authorised officer of HMRC with the power of arrest.

Victoria Atkins: Within HMRC, only authorised officers in the Fraud Investigation Service have the power of arrest. These officers receive extensive training in HMRC’s criminal investigation powers, procedures, and safeguards, including the power of arrest. This training takes 69.5 weeks and is a combination of taught class room training and assessed practical training and is accredited by the University of Northumbria.

Energy: Taxation

Dan Carden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to reform the Energy Profits Levy to increase the tax on excess profits of oil and gas companies.

Victoria Atkins: The Energy Profits Levy (EPL) was introduced from 26 May in response to sharp increases in oil and gas prices over the past year and to help fund cost of living support for UK households. The EPL is an additional 25 per cent surcharge on UK oil and gas profits, taking the combined headline tax rate for oil and gas companies operating in the UK and on the UK Continental Shelf to 65 per cent. The Government has calculated that it expects the EPL to raise over £7 billion in 2022-23 based on forecast oil and gas prices. The Government keeps all taxes under review.

Taxation: Domicil

Dan Carden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment has he made of the potential merits of abolishing the non-domicile tax regime.

Victoria Atkins: Non-domiciled taxpayers were liable to pay £7,896 million in UK Income Tax, Capital Gains Tax, and National Insurance contributions in the tax year ending 2021. The Government keeps all tax policy under review.

Capital Gains Tax: Income Tax

Dan Carden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment has he made of the potential merits of aligning Capital Gains Tax rates with Income Tax.

Victoria Atkins: As set out in the Government’s response to the Office of Tax Simplification's report on Capital Gains Tax (CGT) on 30 November 2021, substantial reforms to CGT rates and allowances would involve a number of wider policy trade-offs and so careful thought must be given to the impact that they would have on taxpayers, as well as any additional administrative burden on HMRC. The Government will continue to keep the tax system under review to ensure it is simple and efficient.

Inheritance Tax

Dan Carden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to (a) scrap or (b) reform Business Relief and Agricultural Property Relief on Inheritance Tax.

Dan Carden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential for Business Relief and Agricultural Property Relief on Inheritance Tax to be used as loopholes to avoid paying the appropriate inheritance tax on assets.

Victoria Atkins: As with all taxes, the Government keeps agricultural property relief and business property relief under review.

Debts: Coventry

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate his Department has made of the level of household debt in (a) Coventry North East constituency and (b) Coventry in each of the last two years.

Andrew Griffith: The Government monitors problem debt levels regularly by working closely with the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and by engaging with the debt advice sector and other relevant stakeholders on their research and findings. The FCA conducts a biennial Financial Lives Survey which provides a comprehensive insight into the finances of the UK population. The latest ‘snapshot’ findings from their survey were published on 21 October 2022 and can be found in the link below: https://www.fca.org.uk/data/financial-lives-2022-early-survey-insights-vulnerability-financial-resilience MaPS monitors financial difficulty through an annual survey of 22,000 individuals. MaPS published its latest data on 23 February 2022, which can be found in the link below: Who needs debt advice in 2022? | The Money and Pensions Service (maps.org.uk) This includes a regional breakdown of how the need for debt advice has changed since 2019 across the UK. MaPS is investigating the production of constituency level data and hopes to be able to publish this by the end of this year.

National Insurance: Investment Income

Dan Carden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending National Insurance to investment income.

Dan Carden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential revenue that would be raised by extending National Insurance to investment income.

Victoria Atkins: The Government has no plans to extend National Insurance contributions to investment income. The Government keeps all taxes under review.

Revenue and Customs: Officers

Liz Twist: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average (a) level of experience and (b) salary is of a Grade 7 HMRC officer; and whether a trainee would be ranked as Grade 7.

Victoria Atkins: HMRC are unable to answer the question on the average level of experience of a Grade 7 (G7) HMRC Officer. There are several thousand G7 officers in HMRC each of whom have their own unique career history. In total, the group covers over 27 professions and a significant number of different role types. Each individual will retain their own career history, including experience and qualifications which will be discussed with their manager. In view of the significant variances in experience and roles, no central record is retained. For similar reasons, HMRC are unable to answer the question on whether a trainee would be ranked as a G7 as in some roles and professions it would and others not. It can take anywhere from 3 years for fast-track training roles or up to 20 years plus for average career progression from junior entry grade. Below is a table showing both the National and London pay ranges for a HMRC G7: 2022 Grade 7 Pay Ranges - 01 June 2022GradeNational MinimumNational MaximumLondon MinimumLondon MaximumGrade 7 (7)£52,598£59,294£59,182£66,712

Fiscal Policy: Impact Assessments

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what equalities impact assessment he has made of the Growth Plan 2022 on (a) women, (b) Black, Asian and minority ethnic people, (c) disabled people and (d) LGBT+ people.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he will publish an equalities impact assessment of the Growth Plan 2022 as per the requirements of the public sector equality duty.

John Glen: In developing proposals at fiscal events, including previous and forthcoming events, such as the Autumn Statement planned for 17 November, the Treasury takes care to ensure compliance with legal requirements under the Public Sector Equality Duty in the Equality Act 2010 to consider the impact of its decisions on those sharing protected characteristics.This is in line with both our legal obligations to pay “due regard” to equality impacts, and with our strong commitment to promoting fairness.In the interests of transparency, HMRC publishes a summary of equality impacts for tax measures within the Tax Information and Impact Notes alongside the associated legislation.

Food: VAT

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of permanently reducing the rate of VAT for (a) food and (b) beverages on (i) pubs and (ii) the wider hospitality industry in City of Durham constituency.

Victoria Atkins: The VAT reduced rate for the hospitality sector was a temporary measure designed to support the cash flow and viability of sectors that have been severely affected by COVID-19. It was appropriate that as restrictions were lifted and demand for goods and services in these sectors increased, the temporary tax reliefs were first reduced and then removed in order to rebuild and strengthen the public finances. According to OBR forecasts, VAT will have raised approximately £135 billion in 2021/22, helping to fund key spending priorities such as important public services, including the NHS and policing. In addition, this request should be viewed in the context of over £50 billion of requests for relief from VAT received since the EU referendum. While there are no plans to reduce the rate of VAT on food, beverages, pubs or the wider hospitality industry, the Government keeps all taxes under review.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Museums and Galleries: Art Works

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the diversity of artists exhibited in art galleries in receipt of funding from her Department.

Stuart Andrew: DCMS sponsors a number of art galleries, and funds are provided to some art galleries through Arts Council England (ACE) to its National Portfolio Organisations (NPOs).DCMS supports a vibrant and dynamic museums and galleries sector that remains committed to diverse public programming and collections. However, art galleries operate independently from the government, and decisions related to exhibitions are operational matters for the galleries.ACE works with funded organisations to agree targets for how their governance, leadership, employees, participants, audiences and the work they make can reflect the diversity of their local communities.Diversity of artists is captured under workforce in the ACE NPO annual survey and refers to employed and commissioned artists within that period. Diversity of artists whose art is bought directly from a supplier for display is not currently captured.

Project Gigabit: Expenditure

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of the funding for Project Gigabit has been spent as of 25 October 2022.

Julia Lopez: Project Gigabit was launched in March 2021 and its spend for the financial year 2021-22 will be reported through DCMS’s Annual Report and Accounts, which will be published in due course.In April 2022, Building Digital UK (BDUK) became an Executive Agency of DCMS, and will publish its own Annual Report and Accounts, including details of Project Gigabit spend, from next year.

Project Gigabit: Voucher Schemes

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2022 to Question 63206 on Project Gigabit: Voucher Schemes, what the value of vouchers issued as part of Project Gigabit has been in each (a) region and (b) nation of the UK; and what proportion of those vouchers were distributed to (i) homes and (ii) businesses in each of the last five years.

Julia Lopez: The following table shows the value of vouchers issued as part of Project Gigabit in each (a) region and (b) nation of the UK; and what proportion of those vouchers were distributed to (i) homes and (ii) businesses in each of the last five years.Year2017/182018/192019/202020/212021/22TOTALEnglandNorth Eastof which business£0£335,000£1,456,000£1,184,000£1,310,000£4,285,000of which residential£0£0£237,000£935,000£2,811,000£3,983,000 North Westof which business£0£2,095,000£3,890,000£2,637,000£3,715,000£12,337,000of which residential£0£39,000£524,000£1,495,000£6,142,000£8,200,000Yorkshire and The Humberof which business£73,000£2,117,000£2,540,000£1,215,000£686,000£6,631,000of which residential£0£31,000£164,000£363,000£1,205,000£1,762,000East Midlandsof which business£0£776,000£1,946,000£898,000£1,131,000£4,751,000of which residential£0£4,000£38,000£310,000£2,038,000£2,389,000West Midlandsof which business£0£1,051,000£2,070,000£1,888,000£2,150,000£7,160,000of which residential£0£1,000£109,000£980,000£4,380,000£5,468,000East of Englandof which business£0£870,000£1,822,000£1,479,000£1,566,000£5,738,000of which residential£0£0£98,000£1,402,000£6,345,000£7,845,000Londonof which business£0£2,543,000£4,346,000£1,968,000£154,000£9,011,000of which residential£0£11,000£170,000£167,000£87,000£434,000South Eastof which business£0£2,421,000£4,896,000£2,947,000£4,572,000£14,836,000of which residential£0£66,000£255,000£3,394,000£19,430,000£23,145,000South Westof which business£31,000£1,632,000£2,644,000£1,862,000£1,796,000£7,965,000of which residential£0£325,000£991,000£3,351,000£5,245,000£9,912,000Northern Irelandof which business£0£1,226,000£2,538,000£2,646,000£442,000£6,853,000of which residential£0£1,000£139,000£2,856,000£3,434,000£6,431,000Scotlandof which business£12,000£621,000£1,496,000£1,169,000£380,000£3,678,000of which residential£0£0£25,000£929,000£1,377,000£2,330,000Walesof which business£0£165,000£1,000,000£1,428,000£2,369,000£4,960,000of which residential£0£0£106,000£1,163,000£3,837,000£5,105,000 Source:BDUK (as of Oct 2022)   Notes:1. Rounded to the nearest £1000. 2. Includes Vouchers Connected and Vouchers Issued that are yet to be connected. Vouchers issued can subsequently be cancelled, meaning the figures above are the maximum number of vouchers that could be connected in each country/region. 3. The table above comprises two different measures of voucher value. For issued (but yet to be connected vouchers) we have used the value of the voucher which is theoretically the maximum amount that could be claimed. For vouchers connected, we have used the actual claimed amount. 4. Encompasses 3 different schemes: Gigabit Voucher Scheme (GBVS), Rural Gigabit Connectivity (RGC) and UKGV (UK Gigabit Voucher). Each scheme had a different set of eligibility criteria. 5. Business vouchers include sole traders, of which there were 31 vouchers issued and/or connected.

Commemorative Plaques

Jamie Stone: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with English Heritage on the potential merits of expanding the blue plaque scheme outside of London.

Stuart Andrew: I have held no recent discussions with English Heritage Trust on the merits of expanding the Blue Plaque scheme outside of London. The charity freely offers advice and guidance to anyone across the country seeking to put up a commemorative plaque.

Women and Equalities

Conversion Therapy

Luke Pollard: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what her timescale is for bringing forward legislative proposals to ban conversion therapy.

Kemi Badenoch: The Government remains committed to protecting everyone from these conversion practices.It is important that we get this right. As the newly appointed Minister, I will give careful consideration to our public consultation on the issue and respond in due course.In the meantime, we have launched a support service open to all victims or those at risk of conversion practices.